The Razer Blade 16 has long been leading contender among the best gaming laptops, thanks in part to its careful component selection and strong style. In this case, our review unit comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and a flagship RTX 5090 GPU.

While the chassis remains the same as the Razer Blade 16 that we tested a little over a year ago, the 25W processor in our new review unit enabled some impressive runtimes that eclipse the competition. You’ll have to pay a considerable sum for the luxury, but the Blade 16 makes as strong a case as a compelling premium gaming laptop.

Design of the Razer Blade 16

We were impressed with the design of last year's Blade 16, and luckily, Razer hasn’t altered the formula for this year’s model. You get the same matte-black chassis that measures just 0.69 inches at its thickest point (0.59 inches towards the front). Build quality remains excellent in true Razer fashion.

The overall design is minimalist, with a minimal amount of RGBs and no obvious ventilation slats along the sides for heat management. Instead, the clean design would look at home sitting on your desk while you're gaming with an Xbox controller, or sitting on your desk in a cubicle at work. The only bit of flash that you’ll find is the RGB Razer logo on the lid.

You’ll find thin bezels around the glossy 16-inch OLED display, below which you’ll find the full-size keyboard and a large trackpad. There’s also a small status LED at the front right of the chassis (just below the Intel Core Ultra sticker on the deck). It pulses white when the laptop is in standby mode.

There’s a healthy assortment of ports on the laptop, including three legacy USB 3.3 Gen 2 Type-A ports. There’s also one Thunderbolt 4 port, one Thunderbolt 5, an SD card reader (UHS-II), a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. There’s also a proprietary power port.

The Blade 16 measures 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.69 inches and weighs 4.71 pounds. For comparison, the MSI Raider 16 HX also packs an RTX 5090, but measures 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.14 inches and weighs over a pound more (5.73 pounds). The Alienware 16 Area-51 is heavier still at 7.49 pounds, with dimensions of 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches.

Razer Blade 16 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Razer Blade 16

Our Blade 16 review unit is equipped with a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which has 16 total cores (4 performance, 8 efficient) and a maximum performance turbo frequency of 4.9 GHz for the performance cores. There’s also 32GB of LPDDR5x memory and a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU (1,597 MHz boost clock, 175W max TGP).

This combo generally performed well across our gaming benchmark suite, with a few exceptions. While playing Battlefield 6 at native resolution in Overkill detail mode, with DLSS Quality and Frame Generation enabled, I was comfortably getting between 110 and 120 FPS, even with a lot of action happening on the screen.

For this review, the competitive set consists of last year's Blade 16 (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 28W, RTX 5090 at 160W TGP), MSI Raider 16 Max HX (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), and the Alienware 16 Area-51 (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5080 at 175W TGP).

As usual, we start our gaming benchmarks with the Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest setting) benchmark, where the Blade 16 delivered 182 FPS at 1080p. Performance at 1600p scaled down to 133 FPS. The 2025 edition of the Blade 16 was 16 FPS behind at 1080, but at the resolution that most would play at, 1600p, the older model was nearly 30 FPS faster (162 FPS versus 133 FPS).

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra settings), the laptops were pretty evenly matched, with most running between 65 and 70 FPS at 1080p and at around 40 FPS at 1600p. For the Razer Blade 16 specifically, it achieved 65 FPS at 1080p and 42 FPS at 1600p.

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) saw the Blade 16 running in third place ahead of its predecessor (106 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1600p). The Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX were a few FPS ahead at each resolution, but it was still a relatively close fight among the top three.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings) proved challenging for the Blade 16, as it lagged behind with 94 FPS at 1080p and just 71 FPS at 1600p. For comparison, last year's model eclipsed those numbers at 121 FPS and 94 FPS, respectively. The 25W CPU simply couldn’t keep up with the 28W Ryzen and 55W Intel HX chips

However, the Blade 16 was back to its fighting form in the Borderlands 3 (Badass settings) benchmark, easily slipping into second place behind the Raider 16 Max HX with 175 FPS at 1080p and 126 FPS at 1600p.

Metro Exodus is still our preferred benchmark for gaming laptop stress testing. Our review unit averaged 133.39 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX benchmark preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 3.96 GHz, and the efficiency cores averaged 3.5 GHz. The RTX 5090 GPU also ran at 1.95 GHz.

One item of note is that the two system fans are incredibly loud while gaming, which may force you to use a pair of the best gaming headsets to block out the added noise.

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade 16

The Razer Blade 16 uses a 16-core Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of memory, and a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. With some of the competition sporting upwards of 8 additional cores, the Blade 16 didn’t really break through in the multi-threaded benchmarks.

The synthetic CPU benchmark Geekbench saw the Blade 16 lag slightly behind its predecessor in single-core (2,895 versus 2,922), but pull ahead in multi-core performance (16,971 versus 16,025). However, neither Blade system was a match for the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processors in the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX; the latter of which pulled numbers of 3,231 and 20,656, respectively.

In our 25GB file transfer test, the Blade 16 took second place by the slightest of margins, hitting 1,735.09 MBps. However, this result was still 1,000 MBps behind the first-place Alienware 16 Area-51.

The multi-threaded performance shortfall crept up again in our Handbrake test, where we transcode a 4K video file to 1080p. The Blade 16 pulled up the rear in this group, even falling behind the Blade 16 with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. It took 3 minutes and 17 seconds to complete the task compared to just 1 minute and 51 seconds for the Raider 16 Max HX.

Display on the Razer Blade 16

As Tom's Hardware's resident monitor editor, I’m absolutely smitten with OLED panels. Thankfully, the OLED display on the Blade 16 doesn’t disappoint: it’s a 16-inch panel with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a native refresh rate of 240 Hz.

We found that color volume was 90 percent for DCI-P3 and 127 percent for sRGB. Brightness levels were also fairly impressive, earning second place behind the Raider 16 Max HX at 408.2 nits.

Although the instrumented tests show some regression compared to last year’s Blade 16 in the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, the display looks amazing in a vacuum. The gritty visuals while playing Battlefield 6 in Overkill mode were a delight to my eyes, with sunlight glinting through windows and concussive bomb blasts kicking up debris all around me.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade 16

The keyboard on the Blade 16 uses scissor switches with 1.5 mm of travel. The key presses are slightly clicky, and my fingers had no trouble getting used to typing on the keys.

I used my standard keyhero.com typing test and scored 89 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy, which is about par for the course for me.

The touchpad is absolutely massive, measuring 5.9 inches wide and 3.8 inches tall. It’s one of the largest trackpads you’ll find outside of Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pros. What isn’t Apple-like is the insistence on using a mechanical linkage for trackpad actuation instead of the steadier, more consistent presses made possible by a haptic touchpad. For a laptop with a sticker price of nearly $5,000, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for some haptics here.

However, if you’re using this laptop primarily for gaming, you’ll likely be using one of the best gaming mice for your competitive sessions.

Audio on the Razer Blade 16

The six-speaker audio system on the Blade 16 is THX-optimized, and the audio quality is good, if not quite price-appropriate. While playing Battlefield 6, in-game dialog, explosions, gunfire, and vehicle noise generally sounded good, but the effects were competing with the turbine whine of the dual system fans. Cranking the volume to near-max levels helped drown out the fan noise, but at that point, I was experiencing a bit of aural overload, so I opted to put on a pair of headphones.

When the CPU and GPU weren’t heavily taxed, I was able to better enjoy the speakers, such as by playing Dave Matthews Band’s album Before These Crowded Streets for the 300th time. I cruised through the album with the volume set to a comfortable 50%, savoring the acoustic and bass guitars on “Dreaming Tree,” which always results in a relaxing frisson for me.

Similarly, I watched the Mel Gibson-helmed The Patriot to get into the mood for the Fourth of July, and reveled in the heavy dialogue, flintlock musket blasts, and cannon bursts.

You can make adjustments to the audio using the Razer Synapse software,

Upgradeability of the Razer Blade 16

Accessing the interior of the Blade 16 involves removing 10 Torx screws. Once all screws are removed, the bottom panel lifts off with minimal force. You’ll find the large 90 WHr battery at the bottom front of the chassis, and above are two M.2 slots that accept full-length 2280 SSDs.

The right slot was populated with a 2TB Lexar NM790 PCIe 4.0 SSD, while the left slot was empty, allowing for future upgrades. Also accessible is the PCIe Wi-Fi 7 network adapter (Intel BE213).

Battery Life on the Razer Blade 16

One thing to keep in mind is that the Blade 16 maintained competitive gaming performance among its peers, while its multi-threaded performance took a back seat. However, those compromises were fully redeemed in terms of battery life.

The Blade 16 uses a 90 WHr battery, which delivered shockingly long endurance (for a gaming laptop) in our battery test, consisting of web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and OpenGL testing with the screen brightness set at 150 nits. The system lasted a staggering 12:46, besting the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-equipped Blade 16 by over 5 hours and the Alienware 16 Area-51 by over 9 hours. Even the Raider 16 Max HX was no match, falling short by over 4 hours.

That is a fantastic result for such a thin and light 16-inch gaming laptop, and it is a testament to the miserly energy consumption of the Panther Lake processor.

Heat on the Razer Blade 16

While running the Metro Exodus stress test, we measured the temperature of Blade 16's aluminum-alloy chassis in various spots. The keyboard measured 102 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, while the touchpad was 92 F.

The hottest part of the laptop was near the rear center of the bottom of the chassis, where we measured 130 F. So it’s best to keep the laptop firmly planted on your desk while gaming, lest you roast your legs.

During the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU measured 75.3 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 came in at 87 C.

Webcam on the Razer Blade 16

Razer continues to use a run-of-the-mill 1080p webcam with an IR sensor for Windows Hello support. It’s by no means a class-leading webcam, but it’s perfectly usable for Zoom or Teams meetings.

I found the colors to be mostly adequate, but there was a little lightness in the detail in my facial features.

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade 16

One of my favorite things about Razer laptops is that they aren’t loaded down with too much added software. On our Blade 16 review unit, Razer Chroma and Synapse were preloaded.

Synapse is an all-in-one utility that lets you adjust performance profiles, keyboard macros, audio presets, and more. Chroma, on the other hand, gives you full control over system RGBs, including the per-key keyboard effects.

Otherwise, you’ll find requisite utilities, like the Nvidia app and the usual Windows app shortcuts (we’re looking at you, LinkedIn) on the Start menu.

The Blade 16 comes backed by a one-year warranty for the system itself and a two-year warranty for the 90 WHr battery.

Razer Blade 16 Configurations

Our Blade 16 review unit came configured with a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 2TB SSD, RTX 5090 laptop GPU, and a 16-inch, 240 Hz. 1600p display. The price as-configured is a whopping $4,899.99.

There are cheaper configurations available — if you retain the Core Ultra 9 386H and opt for an RTX 5070 Ti, 1TB SSD, and 32GB of memory, the price drops to $3,499.99. Going with RTX 5080 bumps (all other hardware staying the same) takes the price to $3,999.99.

Bottom Line

Overall, the Razer Blade 16 was a strong performer in our gaming benchmarks, which is the primary reason why most people would be willing to spend nearly $5,000 for this system. More importantly, the Panther Lake-based system delivered nearly 13 hours of non-gaming battery life, outrunning its closest competitor by over 4 hours. Combine those results with the beautiful display, attractive chassis, and under-the-radar design, and you have a winning combination.

However, there are some detractions; the lack of a haptic trackpad at this price point is annoying, and multi-threaded performance significantly lagged the competition. Also, the $4,900 asking price is high, although not completely out of line for a system with these specs. You can save roughly $900 by going with an RTX 5080 instead of the RTX 5090 that was in our system.

But if price isn’t an issue for you, it’s hard to argue with this compelling combination of gaming performance and battery life.

Lenovo has just updated its current-gen Legion 7a 16-inch gaming laptop with a new GPU config: the 12GB version of the RTX 5070 mobile. Previously, the laptop 5070 was limited to just 8GB of VRAM, but Nvidia recently overhauled it, splitting the 5070 SKU into two distinct variants. Lenovo is one of the first vendors to feature the 12GB 5070 in a retail device, but it doesn't come cheap — this new Legion 7a is listed for a whopping $3,375 on Best Buy right now.

For that money, you're getting a flagship Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 CPU, 32GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Not to mention a gorgeous 2560 x 1600 OLED display with a 240 Hz refresh rate, solid build quality, and a plethora of cutting-edge I/O. This laptop is also the perfect recipient for the upgrade since its GPU topped out at a measly RTX 5060 before, making it less powerful than the last-gen Legion 7a devices.

Now, that RTX 5060 variant was almost $600 cheaper than this new 5070-equipped model, but it's actually expanded to a $1,000 delta right now because the 5060 SKU is on sale at the moment. When Nvidia first announced RTX 50-series laptops, it said RTX 5070 devices would start at $1,299; even if you consider the upgraded VRAM, you're paying just about double of what was initially promised to you.

In all seriousness, the Legion 7a is a premium gaming laptop with all the bells and whistles so it naturally commands a higher price, AI boom or not. The RTX 5070 in here is also rated at a 115W TGP instead of the 100W baseline Nvidia has set for the GPU. Regardless, you can still find cheaper laptops kitted with the new 12GB RTX 5070, such as Lenovo's own Legion 7i with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor.

The extra 4GB of VRAM in these devices, gained by swapping from 2GB GDDR7 modules to 3GB ones, should help improve performance in modern titles and AI workloads, especially where ray tracing is involved. Customers have already complained about Nvidia's insistence on packing 8GB video memory pools with various GPUs for years, and at this point, if you're buying a new GPU (or laptop) with that spec, you're killing any chances of future-proofing.

Asus’ ROG Strix Scar 18 (starting at $4,299.99) is an example of abundance in the world of gaming laptops, built around an 18-inch display and the latest flagship silicon: a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 in our test unit. This machine makes a loud first impression, from its stellar (albeit tricky to configure) mini-LED display to the unique scrolling marquee lighting on its lid. But at this price - $4,999.99 as tested – the Scar 18 must prove it can hold the line against Razer’s Blade 18 before it can claim a spot at the top.

Design of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

At 15.71 x 11.73 x 1.38 inches, the Scar 18 has the footprint of a cafeteria tray – this isn’t a laptop you’ll be getting out on a plane. And at 8.16 pounds, this is also one of the heaviest laptops on the market. But performance is the goal here, not portability. Razer’s Blade 18 (15.74 x 10.84 x 1.1 inches) is thinner and significantly lighter, at 7.06 pounds.

The vibrant Aura Sync lightbar around the base of the laptop also demands attention, as does the RGB-lit Republic of Gamers logo on the lid. Both are configurable with customizable lighting and patterns in the Armoury Crate app.

The lid also has a special feature called AniMe vision, a diagonally scrolling marquee of text via LEDs shining through holes in the lid backing. (This is extremely similar to the AniMe Matrix that debuted on the Zephyrus line years ago.) There are several preconfigured versions of the Republic of Gamers logo, and you can add your own text effects. Layered effects are possible and don’t always produce the desired effect — I had a “raining” effect enabled at the same time as my text, and the text was almost impossible to make out.

The bottom line is that the Scar 18 couldn’t do anything more to look like a gaming laptop – it is designed to be seen. Build-wise, it’s a solid machine, showing minimal flex no matter how I handled it. Only the lid is metal, with the rest of the construction thick plastic.

Connectivity is thoroughly modern: two Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) and three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, HDMI 2.1, an audio combo jack, and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet. Internally, it offers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 from an Intel BE200 networking card. The power connector is proprietary for the 450 W power brick.

Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We tested the ROG Strix Scar 18 in flagship form, featuring a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, RTX 5090 graphics card (175 W maximum graphics power), and 32GB of RAM. This is top-of-the-line gaming technology, though with one misstep: single-channel RAM. This might affect its performance as we’re about to see. The Task Manager confirms that only one SO-DIMM slot was used.

I put the Scar 18 through its paces playing 007: First Light at 3840 x 2400 with all detail settings maxed out. At first, this proved too demanding – I saw 26 to 32 frames per second (FPS) in most scenes. Enabling DLSS more than doubled the frame rate – I saw around 70 FPS or better, and the game was supremely playable.

Our comparison lineup includes Alienware’s 16 Area-51 (RTX 5080), MSI’s Raider 16 Max HX (RTX 5090), and Razer’s Blade 18 (RTX 5090). All laptops use a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and have GPUs rated for 175 W like our Asus. Their native screen resolutions, however, are different: Alienware and MSI are 2560 x 1600 while Razer has a unique dual-model display supporting both 1920 x 1200 and 3840 x 2400.

The Scar 18 was competitive across the board at 1200p, typically a few FPS ahead of the Alienware but a few FPS behind the MSI and particularly the Razer.

Bumping the resolution to 4K, the Scar 18 trailed the Razer in most games – the delta was at or almost 10% in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077, and F1 23. (Red Dead Redemption 2 was the exception.) While those numbers won't make the difference between playability and unplayability, the price of these laptops makes it difficult to overlook.

Differences versus the Razer aside, the Scar 18 still demonstrates ample performance for gaming at 4K in most of the games we tested, though not all – it averaged only 21 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 on ray tracing ultra, indicating that it won't be possible to play every game at maximum detail settings.

We stress test gaming laptops running 15 loops of the Metro Exodus stress test at RTX settings. During the test, the Scar 18 averaged 141 FPS with minimal variance between runs, starting at 141.5 FPS and finishing at 141.1 FPS. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU averaged 4.59 GHz on its P-cores and 2.58 GHz on its E-cores while the RTX 5090 had an average boost clock of 1.98 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We tested the Scar 18 with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Not including a PCIe 5.0 drive seems like a missed opportunity at this price, though Razer does the same thing.

In Geekbench 6, the single-core numbers between these laptops were almost indistinguishable as we might expect given they all use the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, though the Scar 18’s multi-core score of 17,629 points significantly trailed the others, which all scored over 20,000 points.

The Scar 18 landed middle of the road in our 25GB file transfer test, averaging 2,042.69 MBps, putting it ahead of the MSI (1,357.93 MBps) and Razer (1,670.53 MBps) but behind the Alienware (2,738.9 MBps).

The Scar 18 also proved competitive in our 4K-to-1080p Handbrake transcoding test, completing it in two minutes and 11 seconds to lead the Alienware (2:24) but trail the MSI (1:51) and Razer (2:01).

Display on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s “Nebula” HDR display is its crowning feature. With a 3840 x 2400 (4K) resolution, mini-LED backlighting with 2,000 dimming zones, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and Nvidia G-Sync, this is quite advanced.

Tweaking is required to get this display to perform as intended, and it’s not simple. Out of the box, HDR is disabled, the refresh rate is capped at 120 Hz, and G-Sync is unavailable since Nvidia Optimus, which dynamically switches between the CPU’s integrated graphics and the RTX 5090, is enabled. To unlock maximum performance, the GPU must be put in “Ultimate” mode in Armoury Crate, which is effectively a MUX toggle that disables the integrated graphics. A restart is required for this to take effect. G-Sync, the 240 Hz refresh rate, and a special feature called “Extreme Low Motion Blur” (ELMB) then become available. The latter is aimed at esports players– it manipulates the pixels so that they turn off when switching colors, theoretically eliminating blur. (More on this in a moment.)

Those aren’t the only settings you’ll need to know about. You can toggle the mini-LED backlighting control between one zone, multi-zone balanced, or multi-zone strong. These settings produce very different images – one-zone provides the deepest contrast, multi-zone balanced is the dimmest but evens out the contrast to make dark scenes appear brighter, and multi-zone strong is the brightest and most vibrant. I stuck with the latter for nearly everything.

ELMB only works in one-zone mode without HDR. I tested it using the Blur Blusters UFO Test. It clearly made a difference – in the 240 fps scrollbar, the UFO looked crisp moving across the screen. Disabling ELMB caused it to become blurry, making it harder to see details. This feature can really matter for competitive esports.

But wait, there are even more settings! Armoury Crate includes many color modes through a feature called GameVisual — racing, scenery, RTS/RPG, fps, cinema, eyecare, vivid, and e-reading. On top of that, it also provides color temperature and gamut settings.

Then there’s the question of HDR. To get that working, it must first be enabled in the Windows Settings app. Back in Armoury Crate, you’ll find GameVisual, color temperature and gamut settings, Extreme Low Motion Blur, and mini-LED backlighting settings are no longer available. That’s the trade-off.

Complicating all this is that the settings I just mentioned are in different places in Armoury Crate. Some are in the display section, while others require going into the Devices section, selecting the Scar 18, and making changes there. It’s not straightforward, and those that simply use this laptop out of the box without tweaking won’t get the best visual experience.

After much experimentation, I played 007: First Light in GPU Ultimate mode, G-Sync enabled, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and True Color HDR enabled through Windows. The picture left little to the imagination – colors seemed to pop off the screen and the 4K resolution provided exquisite detail right down to the patches on Bond’s uniform. HDR effects from muzzle flashes and explosions were dazzling in dark environments.

When I watched Zootopia 2, I switched off HDR and used SDR multi-zone strong. Colors looked exquisite, and brightness was borderline excessive in a darker room. Bright objects like lamps almost seemed overexposed, but they weren’t – the display was simply that bright, and colors were so saturated that I found it hard to look away.

The Scar 18’s numbers are from its default out-of-the-box display settings. In color coverage, its 77.9% DCI-P3 coverage was last in the group – Alienware's OLED screen achieved 93.7% — but is still high enough to create vibrant-looking colors. Its 428.2-nit peak brightness was mid-pack, brighter than the Alienware's 368.6 nits but well back from Razer's 538 nits.

Also shown in our charts are the multi-zone strong settings, which produced 584.6 nits of brightness, with parts peaking at 625 nits. Enabling HDR, we measured an astounding 1,124 nits at 10%, 1,090 nits at 40%, and 943 nits at 100%. If you're looking for one of the brightest laptop displays around, the Scar 18 ranks high on the list.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s keyboard is great for gaming – the keys require enough actuation force that resting your fingers on WASD or the arrow keys won’t produce accidental presses. Key travel is communicative in the sense your fingers know exactly when a key is at the top or bottom of the stroke. The bright RGB backlight is sharp and easy to see.

The keyboard is less ideal for productivity. The tactile feel is rather lifeless, though I still managed 126 words per minute with 99% accuracy in my usual MonkeyType run. Layout-wise, a two-thirds-size number pad on an 18-inch laptop is a miss – there’s plenty of space to make it full-size. Additionally, the arrow key cluster isn’t separated out, resulting in no right Ctrl key, and there are no dedicated Home, End, Page Up, or Page Down keys. Asus does, however, provide five dedicated macro keys, a rarity on any laptop. These are configurable in the Armoury Crate app.

Asus’ mechanical touchpad is excellent, with an expansive surface and a smooth but fingerprint-resistant surface coating. Its clicking action is quiet.

Audio on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s quad-speaker array delivers a decent, if not remarkable, audio experience. In 007: First Light, soft details like the footsteps of approaching enemies were easy to pinpoint, thanks to the expansive soundstage – there’s plenty of room to separate the speaker placement on a laptop this large. Bass is muted, though, resulting in explosions and gunfire that don’t stir up as much excitement as they could.

In Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number,” high hats on drum hits were sharp but missed low-end bump. Switching to the Chainsmokers’ “Summertime Friends,” I also noted the lack of bass, though the vocals were crisp. The overall sound signature is on the hollow side, but that can be sharpened up using the Atmos Detailed equalizer in the Dolby Access app. None of the equalizers made up for the lack of bass, though. Volume levels are also moderate – I found myself pushing at least 80% volume for most situations.

Upgradeability of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Getting inside the Scar 18 couldn’t be easier – simply slide the latch below the palm rest, slide the entire bottom panel forward, and lift it away. You don't even need tools.

Upgrade possibilities include two M.2 slots, two SODIMM slots, and the battery.

Battery Life on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Our battery test consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi.

One minute shy of the five-hour mark, the Scar 18 demonstrates respectable battery life for an 18-inch gaming laptop. The Razer lasted half an hour longer (5:31) and the MSI Raider (8:34) clearly does a better job conserving power, but the Scar 18 did outperform the Alienware (3:33) by several hours.

Heat on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We measure the surface temperatures of gaming laptops while running the Metro Exodus stress test. Peak temperatures were 91 degrees Fahrenheit on the keyboard between the G and H keys, 90 F on the touchpad, and 108 F on the underside near the cooling vents. Internally, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus averaged 66 Celsius while the RTX 5090 ran at 64 C.

The laptop’s fans are well-behaved for daily use. Though fan noise increases while gaming, I had no trouble hearing footsteps and distant conversations in 007: First Light using the built-in speakers.

Webcam on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Asus’ FHD webcam has the minimum resolution expected on a modern laptop. The picture looks soft and washed out. Highlights aren’t handled that well – a window in the background appeared blown out – and I had trouble making out details on my face from just a few feet away. Gamers who value visual quality will want to invest in an external webcam.

Software and Warranty on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Asus includes a useful software bundle, starting with the familiar Armoury Crate. This app provides component monitoring, a macro editor, game library, an exhaustive amount of display settings, and lighting settings via Aura Sync and AniMe Vision. Accessing some settings is unintuitive since you need to go to the Device section and select the laptop. There you can access Windows key and Touchpad toggles and several display settings, including panel overdrive (240 Hz refresh rate). Most settings can be saved in profiles.

The MyAsus app is more generic. In addition to diagnostics and system updates, it provides a battery care mode, microphone noise cancelation, and networking preferences that allow prioritizing traffic to games or other apps.†

The Scar 18 also works with Asus’ GlideX app to share content across devices, including phones and tablets.

Asus includes a standard one-year warranty.

Configurations

Asus offers two Scar 18 configurations with only the GPU different between them – model G835LWG-DB96 uses an RTX 5080 for $4,299.99 while our review model, G835LXG-DB96, steps up to the RTX 5090 for $4,999.99. All other components are the same: a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the 18-inch mini-LED display.

Pricing is slightly higher than Razer’s Blade 18 with the RTX 5080 – it was $4,099 at this writing. Razer runs $5,399 with the RTX 5090, but that price also includes a 2TB SSD.

Bottom Line

The Scar 18 is an undeniably impressive machine that goes all-in on visuals. Its mini-LED “Nebula” display looks breathtaking when properly configured, producing exceptional brightness. The AniMe scrolling marquee, dedicated macro keys, and easy serviceability also elevate its appeal.

However, when it comes to performance, the Scar 18’s single-channel RAM and lack of a PCIe 4.0 SSD are significant shortcomings on a $4,999.99 machine. Several of our gaming benchmarks and multi-core CPU performance showed meaningful dips against Razer’s Blade 18. Additionally, while its display is brilliant, the maze of settings required to unlock its potential means it doesn’t provide the best experience out of the box.

Overall, the Scar 18 is a formidable and visually stunning laptop with plenty of power and one of the best displays you’ll find in a laptop. It simply doesn’t perform consistently enough to displace the Blade 18 as our top recommendation among elite 18-inch gaming laptops.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 (starts at $2,032; $2,217.30 as tested) enters the laptop market with the poise of a veteran. This series has spent years at the top of the ultralight business stack and shows no sign of slowing down. Light and refined as ever with Intel’s “Panther Lake” silicon and equipped with a class-leading keyboard, OLED display, and enterprise-ready tech, it’s every bit the flagship it’s intended to be. That said, consumer models like Dell’s XPS 14 have also raised the bar, so whether the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s refinements keep it ahead of the pack remains to be seen.

Design of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 may have received a refresh, but its design principles remain unmistakable. Squared edges, matte black surfaces, and functional lines keep it faithful to the lineage that IBM established long ago. The webcam notch is the quickest visual cue that this is a current-generation model. Lenovo’s only real design flourish is the colorful X1 badge on the lid for this flagship; lesser ThinkPads simply have the brand name.

At just 2.15 pounds, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon feels unrealistically light, to the point that I wondered if the unit I received was hollow. Rest assured, there’s a real computer inside, and the build quality is excellent. The outsides are made mostly of lightweight magnesium, with precise fitment and a premium feel. True to the product name, carbon fiber is used, mainly in the lid cover and its internal frame. Rigidity is just average, though; the palm rest and surrounding deck feel solid, but the chassis flexes more than I expected. The lid, however, is impressively stiff, and the hinges are precisely tuned for one-handed opening.

Measuring 12.3 x 8.49 x 0.6 inches, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a similar footprint but is much lighter than the 3.4-pound Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and the three-pound Dell XPS 14.

Port selection is decent for an ultraportable, with HDMI 2.1, two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), and a headphone jack on the left and another Thunderbolt 4 and a USB-A port on the right. Intel wireless networking provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Cellular WAN is available.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

We tested the ThinkPad X1 with a Core Ultra 7 355 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. This “Panther Lake” processor features four Performance and four Low Power Efficiency (LPE).

For performance comparison, we included the Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, 10-core M5; $2,349 as tested), Asus Zenbook Duo (Core Ultra X9 388H; $2,299.99), and the Dell XPS 14 (Core Ultra 7 355; $1,699.99). These are all premium systems that you might consider if you’re cross-shopping consumer models. The Apple and Asus use significantly stronger processors, though the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the XPS 14 can be equipped with the Core Ultra X-series to compete in that tier if you're willing to spend even more.

On the cross-platform Geekbench 6 benchmark, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s single-core score of 2,635 points matched the XPS 14, an expected result considering they both use the Core Ultra 7 355, but the ThinkPad trounced it in multi-core, with 11,107 points to Dell’s 7,964. Neither machine proved a match for Apple’s M5, particularly in single-core. With both Apple and Asus scoring over 17,000 points in the multi-core portion, their processors are clearly in a different league.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon finished our 4K-to-1080p video transcoding test in 6 minutes and 12 seconds, more than 30 seconds quicker than the XPS 14 but not competitive with the Asus (4:22) and MacBook Pro (3:31).

Last, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon completed our 25GB file transfer test with an average transfer rate of 1,256.31 MBps, well behind the Asus’ 1,531.3 MBps and not anywhere close to the MacBook Pro’s leading 1,917.35 MBps.

To stress test productivity laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon scored 2,581 points in the first loop and stayed within the 2,500-to-2,600-point range for the remaining loops, demonstrating stable performance. The P-cores ran at an average clock of 3.73 GHz while the LPE-cores ran at 3.46 GHz.

Graphics on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

We run 3DMark Steel Nomad to gauge raw graphics horsepower. Scoring 596 points, the Intel Graphics inside the ThinkPad X1 Carbon are adequate for basic use but little else. The Arc B390 integrated chip in the Asus’ Core Ultra X9 proved far more robust, leading the group with 1,483 points, followed by the MacBook Pro with 1,122 points.

Display on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

Our ThinkPad X1 Carbon uses the 2880 x 1800 OLED panel, an upgrade over the base 1920 x 1200 IPS screen. It produces memorable visuals no matter what you’re viewing. In Dune: Part One, I noted the brilliant white sands of the desert and the inky depths of space. Disney’s Zootopia showed its deep, vibrant color that kept me watching longer than I intended. The anti-glare surface does a commendable job of reducing glare. This panel doesn’t support touch, but you can option touch versions of both the 1920 x 1200 IPS and OLED panels.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s numbers leave little doubt that it has an excellent display. Its color coverage – 82% of DCI-P3 and 115% of sRGB – were within a percentage point of the MacBook’s, just shy of Asus’ 87% and 123%, and ahead of the Dell’s 71% and 101%. Its 473-nit peak brightness is impressive considering it uses an OLED panel, which are often close to or just shy of 400 nits.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon maintains Lenovo's standard for excellent input devices. The keyboard feels more cushioned than my older ThinkPad X13 yet still provides plenty of key travel for engaging feedback – my fingers intuitively knew when I reached the top and bottom of the keystroke. Keystrokes sound slightly rubbery, with less clack than my older ThinkPad, but still pleasant. The keyboard deck is rock solid and doesn't flex. Highly visible white backlighting makes typing in the dark a breeze.

The layout is highly intuitive, with an inverted-T arrow cluster, dedicated Home/Page Up/Page Down/End/Delete keys, and a programmable F12 shortcut key. The power button at top right is also a fingerprint reader. Classic ThinkPad users will notice Lenovo switched to the mainstream left Ctrl and Fn key arrangement, but they can be swapped in the Vantage app.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon touchpad that we tested is mechanical, but a haptic version is available as a no-cost option on customized models. The pad's top-hinged design works reliably and delivers a firm, satisfying click. The three buttons above the pad couple with the classic TrackPoint pointing solution in the middle of the keyboard. ThinkPads are the only laptops that have them anymore.

Audio on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

I listened to my test audio tracks multiple times on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon since the speakers sounded that good – who would have thought a business laptop could so easily double for entertainment?

In William Black & Luka's "Bleed 4 U", I heard crisp vocals, well-separated instruments, and detailed, impactful bass -- this setup didn't skip a beat or distort in any way when the drops hit.

The Atmos Detailed preset in the Dolby Access app (its default setting) evened out the soundstage for a clearer tone. I switched to the Detailed preset to sharpen the drum hits and vocals in a vinyl rip of "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz, which also didn't show any distortion even at maximum volume. The realistic volume limit is around 80%, after which the setup doesn't get audibly louder. This setup is easily loud enough for personal listening.

Upgradeability of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

User-upgradeable components in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon are limited to its M.2 2280 SSD and battery pack; models with WAN can also have that module upgraded. Access through the bottom panel is straightforward – four captive Philips-head screws loosen it, then the clips need to be popped along the back edge, which were snugger than I thought. Lenovo maintains an excellent hardware maintenance manual and even provides a video walkthrough on YouTube.

Lenovo advertised a 9/10 iFixIt score, citing that the keyboard, daughter I/O board, and USB-C ports are also customer replaceable.

Battery Life on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon lasted 13 minutes and 10 seconds in our battery test, which consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi.

Though not a leading time – the Zenbook Duo lasted 14:23 with one screen active while the MacBook Pro went for 18:14 – it’s still an impressive showing considering it uses an OLED panel. Dell’s XPS 14 lasted an astounding 20:41, but that’s with the IPS screen; equipped with an OLED screen and more powerful processor, it lasted only 12:23 (not shown in the charts), and that’s with a 70 Wh battery whereas the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s is rated for just 58 Wh.

Heat on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

During our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's surface temperatures peaked at 72 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 94 degrees between the G and H keys, and 106 degrees on the underside. Internally, the Core Ultra 7 355 averaged 91 degrees Celsius across all cores.

Webcam on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

This ThinkPad's 1440p webcam produces an impressively sharp and well-lit picture. I could make out the wood grain on a door about 10 feet away and even the individual hairs on my cat who was looking over my shoulder. Bright lights, like windows and lamps, were properly exposed, and didn't cause my person to be underexposed. The webcam includes an IR sensor for facial recognition and the security of a sliding privacy shutter.

Software and Warranty on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

Lenovo’s main app is Commercial Vantage, a hub for support access, system updates, and user settings. Those settings include battery smart charging, OLED power settings (taskbar, background, and display dimming), Fn/Ctrl key swap, F12 user shortcut key configuration, and keyboard backlighting brightness. Some settings have moved out of this app into Windows Settings, such as presence detection and display color temperature.

Vantage also provides access to the Aura Edition’s special Smart Modes: Working, Gaming, Creating, Entertainment, Meeting, and Learning. The system automatically switches between the modes depending on the user’s activity. These modes are a combination of settings, some of which are or aren’t enabled for a given mode: auto-prompt VPN (launches a configured VPN client), attention timer (a time limit where notifications are silenced, with a default of 30 minutes), distracting domains (automatically blocks popular social media sites), Wi-Fi fencing (only connects to wireless networks that you designate “safe”), Dolby Audio (sets the mode to Voice, Movie, Music, and so on), and microphone noise canceling mode and listening range. If you move between different environments, like an office to a crowded café, you could tweak the settings and get some usefulness out of this, though I wouldn’t consider it an essential selling point.

As for other apps, Lenovo Smart Share lets you share content from your phone, such as photos, and assists connecting Bluetooth devices.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon comes with a one-year minimum warranty with mail-in service, though preconfigured models often include three years with onsite coverage. Coverage and service plans are available up to five years with accidental damage protection.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Configurations

We tested a midrange ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition with a Core Ultra 7 355 processor, Intel Graphics, 32GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and a non-touch OLED display, retailing for $2,217.30.

The starting model is $2,032 at this writing, though Lenovo’s frequent sales can change the price. CPU options begin with the Core Ultra 5 335 and top out with the vPro-enabled Core Ultra 7 365. Models with the Core Ultra X7 are also supposed to be available but I didn’t see them on Lenovo’s site at the time of writing. Memory is available in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB configurations depending on the processor. The base 1920 x 1200 IPS display can be upgraded to a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel, with either panel available with touch, though only OLED offers a 120 Hz refresh rate. A privacy screen option only comes in 1920 x 1200 display.

Bottom Line

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 delivers everything that a flagship ultraportable should. Its featherweight chassis, best-in-class keyboard, vibrant OLED display, and competent everyday performance make it an ideal fit for professionals or prosumers who take their work with them. It even doubles as a surprisingly capable entertainment machine thanks to its impressive speakers.

While consumer rivals like Dell’s XPS 14 offer similar performance, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon remains the productivity go-to because of its superior keyboard, broader port selection, and enterprise-ready options like vPro and WAN availability. For those willing to accept a thicker and heavier machine and use macOS, Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro remains the performance benchmark in this category.

Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 remains an impeccable blend of portability, polish, and practicality, a mix that earns it a place among our recommendations.

Qualcomm has steadily iterated on its Arm SoC efforts in the Windows space and made further gains with the launch of the Snapdragon X platform.

Now we’re seeing a wave of new systems using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 series of Arm processors, and the HP OmniBook Ultra is the latest to take a bow. Our review unit is powered by a new flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-90-100) SoC, paired with a generous 64GB of memory and a capacious 2TB SSD, and features an all-new chassis design.

The OmniBook Ultra proved to be a top contender in performance benchmarks and is a great all-around system, but about that price…

Design of the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

Our OmniBook Ultra 14 review unit arrived with an entirely new design language compared to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375-equipped system that I tested in 2024. This year’s design features a more angular look and is finished in a color that HP calls “Stone Blue.” The edges of the forged aluminum-alloy chassis are highly polished to a mirror-like finish. It has a decidedly more upscale appearance compared to its predecessor, although the overall quality feels the same (which is to say, excellent).

Upon opening the OmniBook Ultra, you’ll notice “OmniBook Ultra” printed vertically along the forward right palm rest of the keyboard deck. “OmniBook” is printed on the chassis, while the Ultra is actually engraved with the same polished finish as the chassis edges. A massive 5.4 x 3.4-inch trackpad sits at the center of the deck, while the keyboard is directly above, with the keys finished in dark “stone blue” plastic. One thing of note: the fingerprint reader integrated into the power button on the 2024 model is missing this time around.

The 14-inch display has tiny bezels on the left and right, and thicker ones along the top and bottom. The bottom bezel also features “HP” branding in the middle. The display is covered with a glossy glass, which does wonders for improving image vibrancy but tends to increase reflections.

I complained about the fussy USB-A port on the previous-generation OmniBook Ultra, which was partially covered by a spring-loaded door. This time, HP just ditched the USB-A port entirely and replaced it with another USB-C port. As a result, the new OmniBook Ultra has a single USB-C port and a 3.5 mm jack on its left side, and two USB-C ports on its right side. None of the ports support Thunderbolt, although they do feature USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and a 40 Gbps signaling rate.

The OmniBook Ultra measures 12.25 x 8.49 x 0.42 inches and weighs 2.81 pounds. The Asus Zenbook A16 is just a hair heavier at 2.87 pounds, while the 13-inch MacBook Air is a smidge lighter (2.7 pounds). The previous generation OmniBook Ultra tips the scales at 3.4 pounds.

HP OmniBook Ultra 14 Specifications

Productivity Performance on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

The OmniBook Ultra is among the first laptops we’ve tested to use the new Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC (up to 5.0 GHz clock speed, 18 cores), with the first being the Asus Zenbook A16. As we learned in our review of the ZenBook A16, the Snapdragon X2 Elite is a strong performer, and it’s made even more potent by the inclusion of 64GB of LPDDR5x-9523 in our review unit, paired with a 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD.

The Snapdragon X2 Elite also includes an integrated Hexagon NPU, which delivers up to 85 TOPS of compute performance.

The OmniBook Ultra made a strong showing in the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, securing a single-core score of 3,942, putting it in second behind the MacBook Air with its M5 SoC (4,168). The ZenBook A16 wasn’t far behind with 3,807. Looking at multi-core performance, the ZenBook A16 jumped up in the lead with 22,733 compared to 20,075 for the new OmniBook Ultra. The new OmniBook Ultra was also well ahead of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 model (2,846 single-core, 14,838 multi-core).

HP has opted for a PCIe 5.0 SSD on the OmniBook Ultra, and our review unit came in at a healthy 2TB of capacity. The laptop dominated our 25GB file transfer test, delivering 2,620.91 MBps compared to 1,924.84 MBps for the second-place MacBook Air.

The Snapdragon X2 Elite in the OmniBook Ultra again flexed its muscle in our Handbrake test, which involves transcoding a 4K video file to 1080p. Here, the OmniBook Ultra completed the task in 2 minutes and 11 seconds, putting it just three seconds behind the ZenBook A16. Both the AMD-equipped UltraBook Ultra and the MacBook Air took well over 4 minutes to complete transcoding.

We run Cinebench 2024 through ten loops to stress-test ultrabooks. The first run delivered the highest score at 1,099. The subsequent runs fell short of that high mark, settling between 920 and 950 towards the end of the test. The 12 Prime cores averaged 4.03 GHz, while the 6 Performance cores averaged 3.05 GHz.

Display on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

HP is using a 14-inch 2880 x 1800 display on the OmniBook Ultra, and it, like many in this segment, is an OLED panel. The panel has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a glossy finish. However, with the brightness cranked to the max, stray reflections were hardly noticeable.

I used the OmniBook Ultra to watch about half an hour of Marvel’s Thunderbolts on Disney Plus, and spent a good chunk of time watching the San Antonio Spurs blow the biggest lead in an NBA championship series via Sling TV. In both instances, the display looked great with accurate colors and excellent contrast.

In our testing, the OmniBook Ultra covered 87% of DCI-P3 and 122%of sRGB, placing it at the top of the rankings among the assembled laptops. Maximum brightness measured crested 400 nits, specifically hitting 414 nits. While impressive for an OLED display, the ZenBook A16 (429.4 nits) and MacBook Air (458.8 nits) were brighter still.

The display on the OmniBook Ultra is multi-touch-capable, and I had no trouble navigating the Windows interface or using swiping gestures. However, reaching out to touch the screen isn't a natural movement for me, and it isn’t very ergonomic. I was perfectly fine using the humongous trackpad.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

The OmniBook's keyboard is full-size and backlit, and the lattice-free keys themselves felt good under my fingers. There’s no clickiness to the keys, and you’ll hear a gentle, low “thud” as you type along. There’s plenty of key travel, and I was comfortable typing on the keyboard for an extended period of time. My only complaint concerns the half-height up and down arrows squeezed between the full-size left and right arrows.

Using my trusty keyhero.com typing benchmark tool, I managed 87 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy. This was roughly equivalent to what I scored with the keyboard on the previous-generation model.

Complementing the keyboard is a haptic touchpad measuring a large 5.4 x 3.4 inches. It’s a haptic touchpad that provides a satisfying “click” no matter where you press on its surface. While some top-hinged touchpads require additional force to register a click as you move towards the top of the mousing surface, there are no such limitations on the OmniBook Ultra.

Audio on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

The OmniBook Ultra 14 features quad downward-firing speakers on the underside near the front of the chassis. The speakers sounded excellent, with little to no distortion at higher volume levels (80% and higher), and were loud enough to fill my home office.

I played a wide variety of music, ranging from Steve Wonder’s keyboard-heavy and soft vocals on Superwoman from 1972 to the ear-splitting screaming and electric guitars of Linkin Park’s Lying from You, from the band's early 2000’s sophomore album.

Interestingly, no sound utilities are installed by default to tune the speakers further.

Upgradeability of the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

Hopping inside the OmniBook Ultra is incredibly easy – there are only four screws to remove from the bottom panel, which is at least half as many as you’ll typically find on a thin laptop.

Once the bottom panel is removed, there’s not much that’s replaceable. The battery is at least easily accessible, with four screws securing it and one cable connecting it to the motherboard. You also have access to the PCIe 5.0 SSD, which sits beneath a heat shield. That’s about it when it comes to upgrades for the OmniBook Ultra.

Battery Life on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

Our OmniBook Ultra 14 review unit came powered by a 70 WHr battery, which is topped off using a 65-watt GaN USB-C charger. Our battery life test includes web browsing, video streaming, and WebGL tests, with the display set to 150 nits.

We were able to extract 13 hours and 27 minutes out of the OmniBook Ultra, exceeding the runtime of the ZenBook A16 with the same Snapdragon X2 Elite chip by 3 hours. It also outlasted its predecessor by over half an hour. The only laptop that stood in its way was the MacBook Air, which lasted an impressive 15 hours and 28 minutes.

Heat on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

Heat output on the OmniBook Ultra was measured while running our Cinebench 2024 stress test. The keyboard measured around 95 degrees Fahrenheit between the G and H keys, while the hottest part of the laptop was the bottom rear near the exhaust vents, at 118 F.

The touchpad stayed cool to the touch at 77 degrees, the ambient temperature in the room at the time.

While we usually mention CPU temperatures in this section, HWInfo, in its current iteration, does not provide the specific values we need for reporting.

Webcam on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

HP has included a 5MP webcam on the OmniBook Ultra, which has IR capabilities to support Windows Hello biometric authentication. Like the previous generation, the image quality was decent, but not segment-leading.

My face and shirt looked slightly blurry, and my skin tones were "off." This performance would be passable for a laptop costing in the $1,000 to $1,500 range. But for a laptop with an MSRP of nearly $2,900, it's a tough pill to swallow. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition I recently tested, with an MSRP of $1,700, had a far better onboard webcam.

Software and Warranty on the HP OmniBook Ultra 14

HP loads plenty of its own utilities on the OmniBook Ultra, which seems a bit excessive. There’s an HP app that provides limited system information and access to HP’s online store to purchase accessories. There’s also HP Documentation, HP Energy Star (lets you purchase Energy Star-compliant appliances… why?), HP Privacy Settings, HP System Event Utility, and HP TV+. Finally, there’s Find My HP by Absolute, which allows you to track/locate, remote lock, and remote wipe your laptop.

And of course, there’s also the usual Windows bloat in the form of app links to Booking.com, Dropbox, and various other services. And we can’t forget McAfee, which is always an instant delete when I set up a new PC for friends and family.

The OmniBook Ultra comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.

HP OmniBook Ultra 14 Configurations

There are several prebuilt versions of the OmniBook Ultra with Snapdragon X2 Series chips, the cheapest starting at $1,249.99. It features a Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, a 512GB PCIe 5.0 SSD, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 OLED display.

The next prebuilt system comes with a Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 2880 x 1800, 120 Hz OLED display for $2,399. For an extra $300, you get the same specs with a 2TB SSD.

Finally, our review configuration can only be obtained through the “Customize and Buy” option, which gives you a wide pricing range to play with. It has the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 2880 x 1800 OLED display, priced at $2,879.99.

Bottom Line

HP has built a solid foundation with the OmniBook Ultra and the Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC. Our review unit came fully loaded, with 64GB of memory and a capacious 2TB SSD. The ultrabook excelled in our productivity benchmarks, including a stellar run on our storage test. In addition, its battery endurance was only topped by the 13-inch MacBook Air. The laptop also has a beautiful 120 Hz 3K OLED panel and comes standard with a Wi-Fi 7 radio.

On the other hand, the biggest knock against our particular unit is the price: nearly $2,900 is a tough pill to swallow for an ultrabook, primarily due to its lofty memory and storage configurations. However, if you go light on options, you can dramatically lower that price. If you go light on the options, you can opt for a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip, 32GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 3K OLED display for $1,719.99, or add a 1TB SSD for an additional $120.

At that price, the OmniBook Ultra makes a lot more sense and would help us overlook the lack of Thunderbolt ports and the so-so webcam.

With no new GPUs or major mobile CPU platform launches surrounding the show, the laptop announcements at Computex this year fell into two disparate categories, appealing to users with very different budgets. There were devices trying to compete with the MacBook Neo, like Dell’s attractive XPS 13 ($599 to start, with a limited-time student discount) and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon C platform, which promises laptops as low as $300 (we saw it in person in the as-yet-unpriced Acer Aspire Go 15). Both of those, like Apple’s competing Neo, will start with just 8GB of RAM (actually, Acer says “up to 8GB”), thanks to the ongoing AI-driven memory crisis.

On the opposite end of the Computex laptop spectrum, there was, of course, Nvidia’s long-anticipated Windows-on-Arm announcement: RTX Spark Superchip for laptops (formerly N1X), which pairs a 20-core Arm CPU with 6,144 CUDA cores. And since Nvidia and its partners (both laptop makers and Microsoft) are pitching RTX Spark as the agentic computing platform of the future, Spark laptops get all the RAM that portable, local AI PCs could ask for – up to 128GB of LPDDR5X.

The specs sound impressive, but let’s just say I am curious to see how Microsoft and Nvidia’s partnership will implement local agents into Windows 11 in the coming months, and how much useful and intuitive functionality will exist specifically for RTX Spark laptops by the time they actually launch. It’s not like Microsoft has the best track record when it comes to Copilot features, both in Windows and elsewhere. At Build, Microsoft focused on running OpenClaw in Windows with execution containers that create boundaries, such as certain files or programs.

And while we don’t yet know pricing for the RTX Spark laptops, with similarly configured DGX Spark desktops selling for close to $5,000, it’s a safe bet that high-end RTX Spark laptops are going to be well out of the price range of most consumers – although lesser versions based on N1 silicon (and with far less RAM) may slip below the $2,000 mark. While gaming performance on top-end Spark laptops is expected to be roughly similar to an RTX 5070, I suspect pricing will make the platform a tough sell for those primarily interested in gaming, just as it is for AMD’s Strix Halo – and AMD’s x86 silicon doesn’t have the gaming complications that Spark’s Arm CPU will have to navigate.

So it feels like AI developers (and I suppose well-heeled AI tinkerers) will be the primary early adopters of RTX Spark laptops when they begin shipping (this fall, according to Nvidia). By then, we’ll also likely know more about both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon C SoC and Dell’s Intel Wildcat Lake-powered XPS 13 (including how much it will cost to configure it above the baseline 8GB of RAM or with a Panther Lake processor). But as limiting and backward-looking as an 8GB laptop may be in 2026, so far I find these more traditional, more affordable laptops more interesting than RTX Spark – in part because while I don’t know exactly how they will perform, I do know generally what I will and won’t be able to do with them when they arrive.

And given how expensive seemingly everything is these days, it’s nice to see a few companies focused on making things look and feel nice while remaining relatively affordable. It may have taken a big push from Apple and its MacBook Neo. But if Windows wants to remain relevant as a platform, it needs both forward-looking options like RTX Spark and affordable options that still look and feel great, like Dell’s XPS 13. I just wish the latter could happen with more RAM than the laptop I bought in early 2019.

Microsoft is further shrinking its Surface lineup of flagship Windows devices. According to a report from Windows Central, citing "sources that are familiar with Microsoft's hardware roadmap," the company is no longer manufacturing its budget-focused Surface Go 4 and Surface Laptop Go 3, and doesn't plan to follow them up with new devices.

Over the last few years, Microsoft has discontinued many of its most interesting designs, including the powerhouse Surface Laptop Studio, the Surface Studio desktop, Surface Headphones and Earbuds, the Surface Book, and the Surface Duo smartphone. The entire line has been simplified down to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, with the Surface Laptop Ultra coming later this year with Nvidia's RTX Spark. (Microsoft's RTX Spark Dev Box is also Surface-branded, but isn't consumer-facing).

But the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop each come in more sizes than ever. The Surface Pro comes in 12- and 13-inch sizes. That 12-incher, starting at $849 with Snapdragon X Plus, could arguably be a replacement for the Surface Go, except that it's far more expensive than the Surface Go 4 was priced at $579. On the Laptop side, there are 13-, 13.8-, and 15-inch systems, with the smallest using the same chip at $949.99 that could be considered the entry-level option.

It's possible that you may find these systems in stock at some retailers, but they're hard to find. The Surface Go 4's last iteration was only ever part of Microsoft's Surface for Business line and was seemingly popular with commercial customers that needed a device for fieldwork.

Microsoft didn't immediately return Tom's Hardware's request for comment. A representative pointed Windows Central to Microsoft's Surface website, which doesn't list either the Surface Go or Surface Laptop Go, but just a simplified lineup of the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro, and upcoming Surface Laptop Ultra and the Dev Box.

Windows Central's sources suggested that the decision to end these device lines was made prior to memory price hikes due to component shortages. Either way, with just two main device lines, Surface, which used to be a playground for form factors under former head Panos Panay, has been extremely simplified and far less experimental —if you could call it that at all.

In an act of defiance, Framework, the modular manufacturer behind laptops and desktops, has actually reduced prices on one of its products. The DIY edition of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro will now come with cheaper PCIe 5.0 SSDs. If you already placed a pre-order with the 500GB drive, it will be upgraded to the new 1TB option automatically, while a new 2TB option is also available in the configurator now.

• Configure your Framework Laptop 13 Pro

In the more comprehensive update posted on its website, Framework outlined that it has switched specifically to Adata's Mars 970 Plus SSDs that cost substantially less than what the company used previously — that model was never revealed publicly. The Mars 970 Plus is a proper Gen5 drive with read speeds up to 11,000 MB/s, and it's powered by the excellent Silicon Motion SM2508 controller that we've praised before.

Despite being cheaper to source, Framework says the Mars 970 Plus offers "better performance, efficiency, and long-term reliability." PCIe 5.0 drives are generally avoided in even high-end laptops today because they can be incredibly thermally demanding and require more power. Therefore, manufacturers simply opt for cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 drives instead, which are also available in a much wider variety of sizes.

A 500GB PCIe 5.0 drive sounds like it should be cheaper than a 1TB option, but because of interleaving, having an SSD with fewer channels actually means the controller isn't fully saturated to perform at its top speed. So, OEMs don't produce 500GB PCIe 5.0 drives at scale; almost every option you'll see on the market starts at 1TB. That's likely why Framework was paying more for that compared to its new 1TB inventory.

Unfortunately, we're in the middle of the component crisis, so we have to take the good with the bad. And the bad news is that Framework thinks another CPU price hike is on the horizon. It's not confirmed just yet, but when a vendor says it's receiving "signals," it's more than likely to come to fruition. The company is suggesting placing pre-orders now since it will have to update the overall prices of the Laptop 13 Pro once changes come into effect.

The Laptop 13 Pro was originally supposed to start shipping this month, but because of the unprecedented situation we're in, it was delayed to July. All orders for this laptop are, therefore, pre-orders, and that's how the company is able to easily upgrade customers from 500GB drives to 1TB on the DIY edition. The prebuilt edition of the laptop still features PCIe 4.0 drives from Western Digital / SanDisk, and storage can't be manually configured for these.

Apple has made the unprecedented decision to hike the prices of all its current computers and tablets. iPhone prices remain as they were, for now. Bloomberg indicates that the rather steep price rises have been precipitated by increased costs of memory and storage. One of the most impactful hikes we see is the entry-level MacBook Pro going from $1,699 to $1,999. However, even the recently released but resource-starved MacBook Neo has had another $100 piled onto its price, so now it starts at $699 before tax.

In addition to Gurman’s highlighted price increases, we spotted that the cheapest Mac Studio M4 Max (mini PC desktop) has had its price increased to $2,499 from $1,999. There’s a lot to take in, so check out our at-a-glance before and after table for quick reference.

Bloomberg’s resident Apple expert, Mark Gurman, quoted an apologetic company rep. “We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions,” a spokesperson from Apple told the reporter. Other interesting assertions from that conversation were that Apple had never seen component prices rise so high, so quickly. Moreover, its representative claimed that the firm did all it could to shield customers from any knock-on device price rises, stating the company had "shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products including today’s increases for iPad and Mac."

While newsrooms might be agog at these price rises being implemented today, the writing has been on the wall of the RAMpocalypse for several months. Back in April, Tim Cook publicly forecast that the component shortages and price rises didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. That statement came in the wake of the withdrawal of the entry-level $599 configuration of the Mac Mini, and Apple softening the blow of higher prices of its latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models by upgrading memory and other tech specs.

Until now, it seemed like Apple’s massive buying power and vertical integration had managed to help it hold off computer and tablet price increases. Today, the brakes came off, pretty dramatically.

SELLIN' FAST: These deals are still in stock, and the discounts are still live, 24 hours later! We're seeing a lot of interest, so jump on these while you can.

With memory prices at all-time highs, it can be challenging to find stellar deals on gaming systems. Luckily for all of us, Walmart has some deals on MSI gaming laptops, starting at $1,089 for the Cyborg 15. It may be the eve of Amazon Prime Day, but who’s to say that Walmart can’t get in on the deals action?

• Check out this deal on Amazon

The Cyborg 15 is the definite value play wth its $1,089 asking price (a $510 discount). That price gets you an Intel Core 7-240H processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD. The Series 2 “Raptor Lake” processor has a maximum turbo frequency of 5.2 GHz and 10 cores in total: 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. You’ll also find an 8GB GeForce RTX 5070 discrete GPU.

Front and center is a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz. Also on deck are a four-zone RGB keyboard, Wi-Fi 6E/Bluetooth 5.3, and a 55.2 WHr battery. Regarding ports, the Cyborg 15 has a healthy balance of USB-A and USB-C ports along with a GbE port (which is becoming rarer these days as manufacturers aim for thinness).

If you need a bit more spring in your gaming step, look no further than the MSI Vector 16, priced at $1,899, or a discount of $800. This system delivers a healthy performance boost over the Cyborg 15, which uses a Core Ultra 9 275HX processor. This “Arrow Lake” chip has 24 cores in total (8 performance, 16 efficiency), a maximum turbo frequency of 5.4 GHz, and 40MB of total L2 cache.

You still get 16GB of DDR5 memory and a 1TB SSD, but you also get a big performance boost with a 16GB GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. Not only do you get a higher-resolution, larger 16-inch panel (2560 x 1600) with a 240 Hz refresh rate, but you also get a much larger 80 Wh battery to power the system. As for the keyboard, you get another upgrade courtesy of a 24-zone RGB setup.

Both of these MSI laptops are compelling options for gamers, no matter your budget. Especially with the Vector 16, which offers a lot of bang for the buck at $1,799. After all, that value proposition is made even more abundantly clear, as who would have thought we’d live in the age of $1,800 handheld gaming PCs?

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has warned in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that price hikes on Apple products are unavoidable because the price of memory has increased to a degree that the company must now pass on increases to customers. The outgoing chief executive of Apple did not disclose the scope of the increases or when to expect them to happen, though the warning itself is noteworthy.

Cook said in the interview that price increases had become necessary due to skyrocketing prices of LPDDR and 3D NAND memory, which the company uses in its PCs, smartphones, tablets, and other products. He noted that Apple had attempted to offset rising component costs and protect customers from higher prices, but indicated in the interview that the company could no longer absorb the increases indefinitely. While Cook declined to discuss timing or the magnitude of the planned price hikes, some Apple products may see higher prices sooner rather than later. The company already raised the base price of its Mac Mini last month and eliminated its highest-end model.

TechInsights estimates that Apple will need to hike the price of a flagship iPhone Pro model by about $270 to maintain its current gross margins, which could push flagship iPhone pricing into a substantially higher price band. To make matters worse, Apple faces rising DRAM requirements as it expands memory-hungry on-device AI capabilities.

Apple is a unique company in the sense that it is both one of the world's largest suppliers of smartphones and one of the industry's biggest PC OEMs. Still, its Mac business is negligible compared to the iPhone business.

Memory makers are more inclined to ship non-volatile NAND memory to smartphone makers as they can ship LPDDR with it, according to Nelson Duann, a senior vice president of Silicon Motion, speaking in an interview with Tom's Hardware. If Duann is correct that NAND makers prefer smartphones because they can bundle NAND and LPDDR sales, then Apple should be among the most favored customers in the industry, not among the disadvantaged ones.

Also, keep in mind that historically Apple has used long-term supply agreements, prepayments, equipment financing, and advance capacity reservations to secure key components, including DRAM, NAND flash, displays, advanced packaging, and even semiconductor foundry capacity. As one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers and semiconductor buyers, Apple is among the few companies capable of negotiating with memory suppliers from a position of considerable strength.

As a result, Apple is not in a situation where it cannot get enough memory; it can probably get more than other suppliers of smartphones and PCs, but it surely has to buy both DRAM and NAND at a premium. That said, it is not surprising that Apple will have to increase prices; what remains to be seen is the magnitude of the increase.

Dell's new XPS 13 is available for sale, starting at $599 for students and $699 for everyone else. Revealed as a MacBook Neo competitor sporting Intel's Wildcat Lake chips last month, the XPS 13 attempts to strike a balance between premium XPS design and entry-level specs. Given the state of DRAM and NAND flash prices, designs like the XPS 13 and Neo are an attempt to get premium-feeling devices into the hands of customers who don't need high-end compute, all at reasonable prices

• Check out the XPS 13 at Dell for $699.99

At the heart of the XPS 13 is one of Intel's new Wildcat Lake chips, which have been sparsely available in the U.S. market. This range is built on the same 18A process as Intel's Panther Lake SoCs, and it leverages the same microarchitectures. Wildcat Lake is severely stripped back compared to Panther Lake, however.

The entry-level XPS 13 at $699 comes with Intel's Core 5 320, for instance, which is a six-core chip with two Cougar Cove P-cores and a cluster of four Darkmont LPE cores. It has a base power draw of just 15W, and a maximum turbo power of 35W, along with onboard Intel Graphics sporting two Xe3 cores. With those specs, you shouldn't expect to do more than basic web and productivity tasks.

However, Wildcat Lake comes with the upside of modern connectivity, including speedy LPDDR5X at up to 7,467 MT/s, Wi-Fi 7, and USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2. The XPS 13 specifically has some premium flourishes, as well. It's an all-aluminum machine that weighs just 2.2 pounds and measures 0.5 inches think, and it's equipped with a 13.4-inch 2.5K touch display, even on the $699 design.

You can see the full specs for the entry-level configuration above. As it stands now, there's only one other configuration available with 16 GB of memory for $899. Keep in mind that Wildcat Lake is a single-channel product; even with 16 GB of memory, you'll still need to settle for single-channel performance. But given this machine's target audience, that's probably fine.

Dell says it will eventually release the XPS 13 with Panther Lake chips, which uses proper dual-channel memory. We'll eventually see a configuration with the Core Ultra 7 355, which starts at 16 GB of memory and scales up to 32 GB, as well as sports Thunderbolt 4. Additionally, Dell says it will offer the XPS 13 with 256 GB and 1 TB storage options, but 512 GB is the only configuration available now.

If you need an affordable basic Windows laptop in a chassis that doesn't feel like a penalty box, the XPS 13 is a strong choice. Get it while it's hot.

Microsoft has quietly updated its consumer-oriented Surface lineup with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 chips. The Surface line, often announced with its own event, has been detailed in a blog post by corporate vice president for Surface Brett Ostrum. All three systems are on sale from Microsoft's website today. The 13-inch Surface Pro starts at $1,499, while the Surface Laptop line starts at $1,599 for the 13.8-inch machine and $1,699 for the 15-incher.

The new systems aren't particularly different on the outside, coming in platinum, black, and dune colors that Microsoft has used before. The 13.8-inch Laptop option will have one brand new color: a standout jade green.

All of the systems will have options between 10-core Snapdragon X2 Plus or 12-core Snapdragon X2 Elite processors, and range from 16GB to 64GB of RAM (some of the Surface for Business models Microsoft announced with Intel's Panther Lake processors start with just 8GB of memory).

The Surface Pro starts with 256GB of storage and goes up to 1TB, while the Surface Laptop 13.8 goes up to 2TB. The 15-inch Laptop starts at 512GB and goes up to 2TB.

While all of the devices use Microsoft's PixelSense Flow displays with variable refresh up to 120 Hz, but only the Surface Pro includes both LCD and OLED options. The touchpad on the Surface Laptop has new haptic feedback technologies, working with Windows for small pieces of feedback throughout Windows. On the Surface Pro, you can get similar feedback with the Slim Pen.

The Surface Laptops have 1080p cameras that Microsoft boasts are best in class with No. 1 rankings from DXOMARK. That judges color, texture, noise, and artifacts, but doesn't seem to consider resolution. Some premium PCs have 4K or higher webcams now.

Microsoft is promising up to 20 hours of battery life on the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop when measured with local video playback. That drops to 16 hours when tested with web usage. We'll have to see how that holds up in our labs.

All three devices maintain Microsoft's Surface Connect port, and come with 39W chargers in North America. Microsoft notes that these aren't available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, so buyers in those locales will need to bring their own.

Business-focused models using Intel chips will launch on July 14.

Update, June 16, 10:26 a.m.: Microsoft shared a change to their spec sheet. The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop Pro will start with 512GB in the United States.

Today marks 15 years since the first Chromebooks hit the market. Google partnered with Acer and Samsung to get a range of devices ready for the big launch day in 2011. While the platform has gone on to enjoy enviable success in the education market, it continues to be sidelined in mainstream and premium markets, despite the best efforts of Google and partners.

Google’s vision in 2011 was to “make computing simpler and more accessible for everyone.” It arrived with this goal at the tail end of the netbook era, where there was a proliferation of cheap Windows thin and light designs that were infamous for becoming tragically slow in a short time. Some might describe the first Chromebooks as cloud-first evolutions of netbooks – and they indeed made much better use of limited hardware with fast boot times, browser-based workflows, and everything done in the cloud, easing the demands on the (typically) anemic hardware.

Mainstream and premium laptop users, perhaps stung by netbook experiences, have never warmed to Chromebooks, though. Google and partners have invested in high-end product development across several generations, to no avail. Chromebooks seem to be firmly entrenched in K-12 education computing, and can’t escape from that niche.

We’d probably conclude that Google Chromebooks missed their chance in the early 20-teens by holding back some of the best initiatives we are seeing on the platform now. For example, it took until 2016 for the Google Play Store to arrive on Chromebooks, in 2018 Linux app support was added, it took until 2019 for Steam gaming support (beta, recently killed though) to arrive, and until 2021 for ChromeOS Flex to be released to install on out-of-support old PCs and Macs, and only in 2023 did Google decide to ensure new Chromebooks got a decent (10 years) length of OS support. Google could have gone all-in with its best features earlier on, instead of wasting time and resources on the ridiculously expensive Pixelbook (2017), for example.

Nevertheless, as noted above, Chromebooks are now an undeniable success in the education segment. In K-12, the platform still looks unassailable due to a number of factors. Probably the most important features in its favor in this segment are the platform’s lower costs, centralized management, and ruggedized options available.

Chromebooks have also earned a reputation for reliability and security. Research suggests the platform requires fewer tech support calls than rival computing platforms. Last but not least, the recent change to a 10-year device updates support guarantee should cement the Chromebook platform’s good reputation.

The MacBook Neo has been an astronomical hit for Apple, with both critics and consumers responding positively to the company's entry-level laptop. It changed the precedent for what a budget laptop could be, scaring Windows-reliant vendors, but one legacy chipmaker doesn't seem bothered. AMD has just released new marketing material that directly pits a Ryzen 200 series-equipped machine with the Neo, mocking the latter for not supporting 75% of top PC games.

"While 15 of the top 20 PC games do not run on Macbook Neo natively, AMD systems give you access to massive game libraries," said the company. Only 5 of those 20 titles will work on the Neo. Technically, you can use emulation software to still access more games, but AMD specifically covers that ground, too, and mentions "no workarounds required." It then points out how multiple storefronts enjoy universal compatibility with AMD devices.

For the comparison, AMD used HP's OmniBook X Flip powered by the Ryzen 5 220. That's not a new chip; it's a refresh of the company's Hawk Point lineup (8540U), and this SKU in particular features 2 full-fat Zen 4 cores and 4x Zen4c efficiency cores, for a total of 12 threads. It's paired with a Radeon 740M iGPU that's not exactly the most powerful by modern standards. It's the same integrated graphics found in the regular Ryzen Z1 APU, so it's about 2x less performant than the Z1 Extreme.

If you actually look at the reviews of this iGPU, it's a mixed bag. It can run older titles like GTA V at over 100 FPS at low settings, but it struggles with pretty much modern games. Hellblade 2 runs at 8 frames per second, while Alan Wake 2 hits about 11 frames on average. So yes, AMD runs 20 out of the 20 top games on PC, but a good chunk of them will not be smooth enough to be called playable on this specific chip. It's the x86 architecture and the Windows OS that are the real difference makers.

Everyone knows Apple Silicon is more than powerful enough, and the company's Metal API has modern features capable of real-time rendering. But there's simply not enough demand from the community and not a big push from Apple to pitch gaming as one of the platform's selling points. You can still emulate x86 code into Arm using Parallels, Crossover, or even Game Hub, but that's not native compatibility. Therefore, AMD is correct.

The company doesn't stop there; it also highlights how the OmniBook X Flip specifically has a 512GB SSD compared to the MacBook Neo's 256GB of storage. This laptop also features a touchscreen in a 2-in-1 form factor, versus the Neo, which has just a basic screen. Lastly, the port selection is more varied with AMD as well; there are 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, and 1x HDMI ports on the HP machine, while you only get 2x USB-C on the Neo. And, of course, the Neo doesn't come with a Windows 11 license.

All that being said, the MacBook Neo is still an excellent laptop for the price. If gaming is imperative to you, Intel's Wildcat Lake laptops are also starting to penetrate this segment with similar pricing and impressive value propositions. If you're chasing that Arm efficiency, then Qualcomm's Snapdragon C-series chips also come with Windows, allowing you to at least bypass the OS difference. It's a great time to be in the market for budget laptops, but the simultaneous component crisis is still taming the full potential of this class.

Even when you game on a portable device, some people want the biggest screen they can find. The Razer Blade 18 looks at some of the best gaming laptops — largely 16-inchers — and calls them tiny.

This system, at $5,399.99 as tested (and starting at $3,999.99) has a huge price tag, but that comes with strong build quality, top-end specs, and a dual-mode display that lets you switch between higher resolution and higher frame rates depending on what you're doing.

The Blade 18 and its aluminum chassis do have some drawbacks. The machine runs quite warm, with loud fans, and at this price, I wish Razer had taken advantage of the PCIe Gen 5 slot with an appropriate drive.

Design of the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

Razer's industrial design hasn't seen a change in a while, so the Blade 18 appears identical to the way it did last year. It's a CNC aluminum block with a Spartan, rectangular design. There is a bit of flex right behind the green, three-headed snake logo at the center of the lid, which I wish didn't exist in a design this premium.

Otherwise, though, the Blade feels rock solid. It's also tremendous, at 15.74 x 10.84 x 1.1 inches and 7.06 pounds before the 400W power brick. It just fits in my backpack, which definitely isn't designed for a system this large. The all-black affair is interrupted only by the 18-inch screen and the per-key RGB on the keyboard.

There are a ton of ports on this system. The left is lined with a proprietary power port, Ethernet, a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the right, you'll find the Thunderbolt 5 port, HDMI 2.1, another USB-A port, the SD card slot, and a Kensington lock slot.

The two different Thunderbolt ports aren't labeled. I wish Razer had made it clear which is which without looking it up or plugging a device in.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

Between the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the Blade 18 can tackle just about anything you throw at it.

In Resident Evil Requiem, with the resolution set to 3840 x 2400 and settings topped out, including path tracing and hair strands, the game typically ran between 30 and 37 frames per second, though it dropped to 28 FPS during a scene in which Leon was chased by a giant spider. Upscaling was forced on, so I opted for quality, but left frame gen off. By dropping to 2560 x 1440, I had a more consistent 49-57 FPS, including during a boss fight with that spider.

Soon after, I realized that the 3840 x 2400 display mode had forced me into a 60 Hz refresh rate while gaming. Switching to 1920 x 1200 mode, the same boss fight at a lower resolution ran around 90 FPS.

On our benchmarks, we found that the Blade 18 didn't deliver a meaningful performance bump over last year's model, which utilized a Core Ultra 9 275HX with the RTX 5090 (our review model from last year also had 64GB of RAM). The Blade 18 beat out the MSI Raider 16 HX and Alienware 16 Area-51 at 1920 x 1200 in our tests, though in some cases the leads were small. In most cases, the Blade 18 at 3840 x 2400 ran very similarly to last year's system at the higher resolution. The Alienware and Raider top out at 2560 x 1600, a much more common resolution on gaming laptops these days.

On our stress test, which consists of running Metro Exodus 15 times in a loop, the Blade 18 averaged 146.03 FPS. The system actually did best after three runs, when it warmed up, and never dipped back down. During this test, the CPU's performance cores averaged 5.14 GHz while the E-cores averaged 2 GHz. The GPU ran at an average of 1,986.32 MHZ.

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

We tested the Blade 18 with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. Unsurprisingly, it's a strong competitor.

On Geekbench 6, the Blade 18's single-core score of 3,170 and multi-core score of 20,166 are admirable, but not terribly different from last year. In fact, the multi-core score was down a few points. Both the Alienware 16 Area-51 and MSI Raider 16 Max HX, each with the same CPU as this Blade 18, were slightly faster on both the single and multi-core tests.

The new Blade copied 25GB of files at a rate of 1,670.53 MBps, beating the MSI Raider 16 Max HX, but falling far behind the Alienware's PCIe Gen 5 SSD, which Razer supports but didn't include, even in a laptop over $5,000.

The Blade 18 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 2 minutes and 1 second, effectively the same as last year. That's faster than the Alienware, but the Raider did the job in 1:51.

Display on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

The big (sorry) selling point on the Blade 18 is its massive, 18-inch display. The dual-mode display can switch between 3840 x 2400 at 240 Hz for productivity work or 1920 x 1200 at 440 Hz for gaming, though this does require a reboot in some instances. While trying to game at 4K, I was limited to just 60 Hz even when plugged in.

The Dual-mode is a unique advantage, though some people might prefer OLED for gaming at this price. That being said, I haven't seen 18-inch OLED panels, so Razer may have opted for dual-mode as advantageous over Mini LED. There aren't too many gaming laptops that offer 4K resolution these days.

In Resident Evil Requiem, I found myself wishing for the black levels on OLED screens in dark environments. Still, when Leon shot a gas can that exploded into an orange fireball during the game's infamous spider boss fight, it was quite vivid.

The biggest change Razer is promising outside of performance over last year's model is a brighter screen. At 538 nits, it was brighter than last year's model (467.6 nits) and both the Alienware and MSI Raider.

The color volume coverage didn't change, however, at 80.8% DCI-P3 and 114.1% sRGB. The Raider was slightly higher, while the Alienware led the pack with its OLED screen.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade 18

Razer outfitted the Blade 18 with a full keyboard, including a number pad. Razer claims 1.5 mm key travel and 63 grams of actuation, along with a 1,000 Hz polling rate and N-Key rollover for gaming.

Using MonkeyType, I hit 115 words per minute with 97% accuracy, which is fairly standard for me. The keys are comfortable enough, though I've seen competitors like MSI and Alienware use mechanical switches in their most expensive halo products. That would be a nice addition here.

The layout is fine, but in its quest for a totally symmetrical layout, Razer used half-size up and down arrow keys and full-size left and right keys. I prefer an "inverted T", no matter which size is used, but this comes down to preference.

The touchpad is massive. At this price, I'd really like to see haptics, but Razer has opted for a standard mechanical touchpad. You can use it relatively high up, but clicks get stuck above the halfway point, leaving some of that space just for moving the cursor. There's plenty of room for gestures, though.

Razer put the touchpad in the center of the palm rest. That looks great aesthetically, but it means that when you're not using the number pad, you're likely to hit it with your hand while typing. Most gamers will use a separate gaming mouse, but if you're the type of AI developer Razer is aiming this machine at, and you're working on the go, you might accidentally move the mouse while using the keyboard. (You can disable the touchpad with a press of the decimal key on the number pad.)

Audio on the Razer Blade 18

The Razer Blade 18 has a six-speaker sound system, with four firing upward and two down-firing speakers. They support THX Spatial Audio (THX is owned by Razer), and can be customized in Razer Synapse.

These speakers are very loud. They could fill my apartment at just above 50% volume. "Raise Him Up," the immensely catchy satirical gospel tune off the soundtrack to Season 5 of The Boys, filled my home with actor Daveed Digg's voice, along with horns, a choir, and drums. I've heard better audio, particularly when it comes to pure clarity and bass, but this is pretty solid, especially if you like your music and games loud. Playing with the well-labeled ranges in Synapse THX did help me draw out the vocals and low-end from the busy track.

In Resident Evil Requiem, the speakers showed off. When Leon stepped on a skull in Racoon City, the crunch was sharp. In a boss battle with a giant spider, the shrieks were terrifying, and the gunshots were booming. Someone from my office politely came over and asked me to turn it down. I couldn't blame them.

Upgradeability on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

Twelve Torx 4 screws hold the Blade 18's bottom to the chassis. Once I removed them, the base popped off with just my hands, and no worrying plastic clips. That's about as easy as it gets unless you have a dedicated door to components.

There are two SSD slots. On our review unit, the PCIe 4 slot was already filled, but you can add a second SSD to a slot that supports PCIe 5. The Wi-Fi card is removable, as is the slotted RAM, which is under shielding.

The battery is replaceable as well, though there is a fan integrated in the middle of the battery, so you'll need to be sure to disconnect the fan connector from the motherboard before removing the screws. This is a fascinating battery, and it might be harder to get than more standard shapes.

Battery Life on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

When it comes to 18-inch gaming laptops, portable really is a turn of phrase. You'll largely want this thing plugged in for performance, if for no other reason than that it's huge.

That being said, it can run off the battery for a decent amount of time. On our test, which browses the web, streams videos, and runs light OpenGL tasks with the screen set to 150 nits of brightness, the Blade lasted for 5 hours and 31 minutes. That's slightly longer than last year, and a big improvement over the Alienware (3:33). But the MSI Raider lasted the longest of the bunch at 8:34 — a full workday.

Heat on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

The Blade's vapor chamber and tri-fan cooling have their work cut out for them. The system still gets hot under use.

After 15 runs of the Metro Exodus benchmark, the keyboard was hot to the touch at 109 degrees Fahrenheit. The touchpad was cooler at 100 F (though that's still toasty for a touchpad), while the bottom of the system was 116 F at the hottest point.

The CPU measured 88.90 degrees Celsius during the test, while the GPU averaged 69.62 C.

Webcam on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

The Blade 18 comes equipped with a 5-megapixel webcam. Its biggest strength may be in color accuracy. In our well-lit office, it caught the exact shade of red-orange in my shirt, and some tired bags under my eyes after a long weekend. It did, however, have some graininess.

The camera system includes infrared for Windows Hello login duties, as well as a physical privacy shutter.

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade 18 (2026)

The only software on the Razer Blade 18 is the company's Synapse app. It does a ton, including managing macros, letting you set custom profiles for games, adjusting lighting and audio, and setting performance modes. There's a lot here. Unfortunately, there are a few ads for Razer's hardware, but they're not too intrusive.

Razer sells the Blade 18 with a 1-year warranty on the laptop and a 2-year warranty on the battery.

The company has two RazerCare plans, Essential ($729.99) and Elite ($999.99), which extend your warranty to 3 years and add 24-hour claim support and coverage for mechanical failures and surge protection. Only the Elite plan covers accidental damage.

Razer Blade 18 (2026) Configurations

The Razer Blade 18 is supremely expensive. We tested it with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage, which adds up to $5,399.99.

The cheapest version is $3,999.99, with the same processor, an RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage. A maxed-out version is $6,999.99 and is identical to what we reviewed, except with 128GB of RAM, which is pointed more at AI developers.

As of this writing, last year's models with a Core Ultra 9 275HX are still available, and they're all $500 less than this year's version. Given the CPU upgrades aren't huge, that's a discount worth considerling.

Bottom Line

If you want one of the biggest gaming rigs with top-end components, a bright, dual-mode screen, and tons of ports, the Blade 18 will absolutely fit the bill. But that bill will be expensive, with the system starting at $4,000 and getting more expensive from there (our review unit goes for $5,399).

For those who want an 18-inch gaming rig with few compromises, this is the one to get if you can afford it. Last year's model is $500 cheaper with a Core Ultra 9 275HX, but you'll also lose the brighter screen. I'm not sure how many people dropping $4,000-$6,000 care about that extra $500, but it's worth noting.

For a brief time from 2024 through 2025, it really seemed that 16GB of RAM was the new standard on mid-range and premium laptops. Microsoft made 16GB of memory a standard to be labeled a Copilot+ PC, and Apple made 16GB the minimum on all of its systems.

Then came the MacBook Neo. It was made of aluminum, looked and felt premium, and used a version of the A18 Pro system on a chip from the iPhone 16 Pro, which features 8GB of RAM.

While there was some blowback from the enthusiast community, most reviewers found that for the most basic workloads, 8GB is workable on macOS (though you'll likely run into swap and memory pressure if you overload it). For everyone else, 16GB is the standard on the MacBook Air and Pro.

But at Computex, we saw that the Windows PC industry is also moving to 8GB. The $699 Dell XPS 13, one of the standout products of the show, will start at 8GB of memory along with an Intel Core Series 3 ("Wildcat Lake") processor. Acer, too, has a $699 Wildcat Lake-based system, the Swift Air 14, which will have an Intel Core 5 chip, 512GB of storage, and, yes, 8GB of RAM.

Ahead of the show, Chuwi announced its UniBook, with a weaker Core Series 3 304 CPU, 256GB of storage, and, you guessed it, 8GB of RAM. That's set to be the cheapest one so far, with Chuwi promising a launch "around $449."

And in May, when Microsoft announced its latest Surface for Business devices, it included a new Surface Laptop for Business 13-inch with 8GB of RAM starting at a whopping $1,299.99, so 8GB isn't just relegated to the budget space.

That's not to say everyone is doing it, at least yet. Some Wildcat Lake laptops are sticking to 16GB. For instance, the $899.99 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i has 16GB of RAM, though it's clearly more expensive than what Apple, Dell, Acer, and Chuwi are offering. (As of this writing, Lenovo's website suggested it's 25% off an "estimated value" of $1,199.99.)

One interesting thing to note: the Windows laptops with 8GB of RAM still have Copilot keys. This doesn't make them Copilot+ laptops, which requires Windows 11, the Copilot key, and 16GB of RAM, but hey, cloud AI is still AI, I guess.

Intel's Wildcat Lake website has a long list of partners with new laptops, and I'm sure more of them will have 8GB. And we know more is coming. The Acer Aspire Go 15, the first laptop with Qualcomm's upcoming budget-focused Snapdragon C, has "up to" 8GB of memory, according to Acer's press release, suggesting the possibility of even less memory. The minimum specs to run Windows 11 include 4GB of memory, after all.

Unlike some of my colleagues, I still believe 8GB of memory is workable for the right people (To be clear, it's not the route I would go). That's people who mostly use a web browser and light apps, don't use many tabs, and mostly do one or two things at a time. They do exist, and they should have options other than paying $1,500 for 16GB of RAM. We've seen that macOS can largely handle a premium-feeling experience with 8GB (and will hopefully move to 12GB with its next chip upgrade), so now it will be the Windows world's turn to prove the same.

But I also hoped the days where 8GB of memory could potentially bottleneck you were over. It is both unfortunate and ironic that it was the rush towards preparing devices for AI that pushed us away from a longstanding 8GB minimum, but it is because the price of memory to keep AI research going has pushed component prices so high that laptop makers have no choice but to go back so that people can afford entry and mid-tier systems.

If you thought we were past the days of 8GB systems, you're wrong. You don't have to get one (depending on what you do, perhaps you shouldn't), but for something affordable, at least there's an option at all. Maybe in a few years, the RAM crisis will have subsided, and we'll laugh about this on 16GB entry-level machines. But not anytime soon.

Update: After publication, Microsoft provided us with the following statement: “Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is not targeting a 110w sustained TDP. Final power will be disclosed closer to availability.” [Emphasis ours]. The original article continues below.

The consumer tech industry is still absorbing the aftershocks of Nvidia's seismic RTX Spark announcements this week at Computex 2026, and there are still many questions around the platform regarding performance, power, and battery life.

One of those questions is the thermal design power (TDP) of the RTX Spark Superchip that's powering the high-end laptops revealed this week. That power budget is everything in a thermally constrained chassis that has to dynamically share power between the CPU and GPU.

A higher power budget in such a system generally translates into higher performance (albeit not necessarily linearly). And if you know the power budget of one platform, you can better reason about its performance compared to other chips with a similar TDP.

Tom's Hardware's Paul Alcorn and I attended a series of lightning-round hands-on sessions with Nvidia's core laptop partners this week, and among other standard questions, we asked representatives from those companies what the power and thermal budgets of their systems were. Unsurprisingly, those partners generally declined to answer.

But Microsoft's reps freely shared that the Surface Laptop Ultra, at least, is designed around a TDP of 110 W for the RTX Spark Superchip.

That figure makes sense, given our experience with the compact DGX Spark mini-PC. That system has an SoC TDP of 140 W, so it's no huge surprise that even the relatively large and well-ventilated Surface Laptop Ultra is designed to dissipate around 80% of that power at peak load.

As a laptop, the Surface also has other components it needs to power, including a screen and any peripherals connected to its USB ports, so extra headroom is required for that purpose. (Other OEMs did disclose that they were including 140W chargers with their devices, so consider that an interesting data point to this end.)

In any event, the enterprising reader might be tempted to extrapolate from our past DGX Spark performance testing and conclude that 20% lower power equals 20% lower performance. But we'd caution against that reasoning.

Chip power and delivered performance generally have a nonlinear relationship past a certain point, and we have no idea what the behavior of the voltage-and-frequency-scaling curve is for the RTX Spark Superchip in the range we're discussing.

We also don't know the full power and thermal management behavior of the RTX Spark Superchip. Modern laptop SoCs (and all chips, really) opportunistically take full advantage of all available thermal and power headroom at the start of a task, so they'll boost up close to the limits of their TDPs while the system is cool before dialing back clock speeds and power to achieve a steady state that avoids overwhelming the system's heatsink and fans. It's not clear how quickly and to what extent the RTX Spark has to clock down to operate within those limits for long-running tasks.

And in a mobile device that has to share power between the CPU and GPU, performance is also going to be highly dependent on the character of the workload. A game, for example, is going to heavily stress the GPU but might not fully occupy the CPU at the same time, while a highly parallel CPU-dependent task like code compilation might fully load the CPU cores without involving the GPU much at all. If you have a (rare) workload that loads down both of those functional units at once, overall performance is likely to fall further than with one that only demands one type of processing resource or the other.

It's also worth remembering that every laptop is different, and power envelopes are carefully tuned for each chassis to best balance design constraints between SoC temperatures, skin temperatures, and noise, among other factors.

All that said, from what we've seen, Microsoft's 110W target seems likely to be typical of the 15"-16" laptops that other OEMs plan to introduce. Logically, it's also likely that we might see lower power budgets for thinner or smaller systems.

But the short version of all this is that there's a lot we still don't know about the RTX Spark platform, and we're still a long way from the launch of the laptops with this chip inside. We expect to learn more about this platform, its design targets, and its behavior in the coming months as we lead up to Nvidia's projected fall launch. Stay tuned.

How do you compete with Apple’s shockingly affordable and premium-feeling MacBook Neo, while maintaining a competitively slim and fanless design? Well, if you’re Intel, you work with Frore Systems to add one of its solid-state Airjet modules to your new Wildcat Lake reference design. Wrapped in a vapor chamber, it delivers a reported 15 watts of sustained cooling, while allowing the laptop to remain just 11.3mm thick and silent, just like the Neo.

We’ve been closely covering Fore’s solid-state cooling tech for years, which uses piezoelectric membranes that vibrate ultrasonically (well beyond the limits of human hearing), to move air without fans, and inside a chip that is just 2.65mm thick in this iteration. We’re still trying to track down the Wildcat Lake laptop in person here at Computex 2026. But Frore provided us with plenty of details and materials at their suite at the convention center.

Below, you can see an illustration of the AirJet, surrounded by the vapor chamber as it’s implemented in the Intel laptop reference design.

Frore says this cooling setup will allow for sustained workloads of 15W, and PL2 bursts of up to 30W. At the moment, the company has measured 28 dBA from the laptop’s cooling, and the company thinks an even lower 24 dBA is possible with further refinements. For some general perspective, the lowest noise floor we’ve generally been able to achieve in our own fan testing is 33.2 dBA, and keep in mind sound is measured on a logarithmic scale. If you can hear the Airjet in this setup, you probably have excellent hearing, and you might also need to be in an anechoic chamber.

Frore says its AirJet delivers 1750 pascals of backpressure, which allows for the use of dustproof, water-resistant filters, which should help extend the life of portable devices like the Wildcat Lake reference design. And because the Airjet’s power needs scale with system workloads, and can power down completely when doing tasks like streaming video, the company says you can expect up to 16 hours or more of battery life.

Of course, Intel’s Wildcat Lake reference design is just that – a reference system designed to help laptop partners (and the public) see what is possible with its silicon (and Frore’s Airjet). There’s no word yet about the AirJet making its way into retail Wildcat Lake laptops like Dell’s XPS 13. But the company is hopeful that Intel’s demo unit will impress its partners enough to opt for AirJet in future lower-cost premium laptop designs.

And if companies can deliver solid-state cooling like this in a laptop that’s also slim, premium, and affordable, I’m all for it. Fans are an ancient technology, with moving parts and bearings that can fail, get gunked up, and definitely get noisy when they’re working hard and small enough to fit into devices this thin. We’ll be keeping an eye out to see if AirJet and laptop makers pair up to bring solid-state cooling into the mainstream computing space in the coming months and years.

Here at Computex 2026 in Taipei, Asus held an early press event to showcase its updated Zenbook, Expertbook, and Strix Scar laptops, along with the new TUF T700 gaming desktop. The additions to the Zenbook and Vivo series, the Zenbook 14 (3 different models), and Vivobook Series (S14/S16 and S14/16 Flip) promise to, according to Asus, ‘elevate the everyday computing experience’ with an all-metal construction, updated branding (the shell will only say Asus now), and new colorways including Arctic Blue and Komodo Coral for a more personalized look. Meanwhile, the company’s compact TUF Gaming T700 desktop bumps up its specs and moves to a proprietary motherboard.

The Zenbook 14 laptops use Intel, AMD, or a Snapdragon processor, with up to 24GB of RAM (16GB for Snapdragon-based models) and up to 512GB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage (Snapdragon model, the others do not list 512GB as a maximum). The Intel-based SKU (UX3480AA) sports up to a 3K (2880x1800) 14-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the AMD and Snapdragon SKUs (UX3480GA and UX3480QA, respectively) use an FHD (1920x1200) screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. They all include Wi-Fi 6E and offer typical connectivity, including audio combo jacks, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and Type-C – the latter supports PD and DP support for charging and display output. Each has at least one 40 Gbps Type-C port, with the Snapdragon-based Zenbook shipping with two. The Vivobook S14/S16 Flip, with its Snapdragon X (orX Plus) and flexible 360-degree design (laptop/tablet/tent), also receives new colorway options.

In addition to the Zenbooks, we also saw the new Expertbook B5 Flip G2, a 360-degree convertible designed for hybrid workflows for business professionals, students, and educators who are looking for flexibility, performance, and security. It even hides the stylus in its thin (0.58-inches) and light (2.9 lbs) chassis. Specs-wise, it’s powered by the Intel Core 7 350 processor, an 18 TOPS NPU, and Intel graphics. You can pack it with up to 32 GB of LPDDRX5 RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, and it has plenty of connectivity, including TB4 USB-C ports, HDMI, and two USB 3.2 gen 1 Type-A ports, all in a Gentle Grey finish.

The Expertbooks, P5 (14-inch) and PM5 G2 (16-inch) are enterprise-grade devices and feature Asus ExpertGuardian and a NIST PSP 800--1930 compliant BIOS and other various safeguards, including a fingerprint sensor, physical webcam shield, and more. Performance-wise, both Expertbooks' NPUs exceed 40 TOPS.

Asus also showed off its ROG Strix G16/G18 and Strix Scar gaming laptops for 2026, with minor hardware updates. The Scar 18 now supports up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor with 200W sustained power (from the 275HX), along with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU with max power up to 175 TGP – a gaming beast, no doubt. Both the G16 and G18 get a bump in GPU performance, with the G16 offering an RTX 5080 laptop GPU and the G18 an RTX 5070 laptop GPU. The illuminated numeric keypad, which looks cool in person, I must admit, also made its way to the G16 and G18 (from the familiar ROG Zephyrus and Zenbook lines). I'm not sure how useful that will be on a laptop designed more for gaming, but it's a nice aesthetic touch. Pricing wasn’t listed, but you should see these, along with the updated Zenbook/Vivobooks, available early in the second half of 2026.

The TUF T700 Gaming PC is an updated version of the T500, with a different (and better-looking) chassis and access to more powerful CPUs. The new boards sport up to an Intel Core U9-275HX or an AMD Ryzen 7-8700F APU. The inside of the chassis includes a 240mm TUF-branded AIO, a PCIe 4.0 storage interface, up to 64GB of SO-DIMM DDR5-5200 MT/s RAM (we’d like to see faster spec-RAM), an efficient 80 Plus Platinum power supply, and up to an Nvidia RTX 5070 Prime graphics, an increase over the last generation T series that maxed out with an RTX 5060 Ti (16GB). Asus will also use a proprietary motherboard in these systems, with a proprietary form factor that resembles MicroATX, with an extra ‘tab’ protruding along the right edge to support additional USB ports.

The incremental, sometimes mostly aesthetic-only, updates on laptops aren’t exactly exciting, but when you’re in the middle of a CPU lifecycle from both camps and video card upgrades have also stalled (thanks, AI), there isn’t a whole lot laptop makers can do. That said, we’re told Asus’ booth at the convention center has something special they couldn’t share at this pre-briefing, so keep an eye out for additional coverage of Asus at Computex 2026 in the coming days to see what it and dozens of other companies will have to offer as the year progresses.

Nvidia unveiled the RTX Spark superchip on May 31st ahead of its GTC Taipei event, and right before Computex 2026. The device packs a 20-core Arm-based Grace CPU and a Blackwell RTX GPU on a single package and points it at the one corner of computing where the company has never had a foothold: the Windows PC.

The chip carries up to 128GB of unified memory, a claimed 1 petaflop of AI compute, and 6,144 CUDA cores, and it ships this fall in laptops and compact desktops from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft Surface, and MSI, with Acer and GIGABYTE to follow. Microsoft is named as a co-developer, not just an OS supplier, having built new Windows security primitives to run on-device AI agents alongside Nvidia's OpenShell runtime. Branded as RTX Spark, it’s the chip the industry has spent three years calling N1X.

"For forty years, you launched apps. Click. Type. With RTX Spark and Microsoft Windows, you ask, and the PC does the work," said CEO Jensen Huang. Running 120-billion-parameter LLMs with up to 1 million tokens of context, RTX Spark can render 90GB 3D scenes and play AAA games at 1440p above 100 frames per second, all on a chip whose CPU was half engineered by smartphone SoC vendor MediaTek.

‘A new era of PC’

RTX Spark hasn’t come out of nowhere; it’s the consumer-oriented sibling of the GB10 Grace Blackwell superchip already shipping inside the Linux-based DGX Spark mini-PC, which carries a price tag currently approaching $5,000 due to memory shortage-related pricing pressure. The GB10 pairs a MediaTek-produced Arm CPU complex with a Blackwell GPU on a TSMC 3nm-class node, joined by Nvidia's coherent NVLink-C2C interconnect and fed by a shared 128GB pool of LPDDR5X. RTX Spark takes that architecture and repurposes it for Windows.

We first began to hear about the RTX Spark under its N1X codename back in 2023, when it was reported that Nvidia was developing Arm CPUs capable of running Windows. The chip appeared repeatedly through 2024 and 2025 via the rumor mill, with various delays attributed to factors including Microsoft’s slow next-gen work on Arm and soft notebook demand, pushing a planned second-half-2025 debut into this year.

For eight years, Microsoft's Windows on Arm program ran exclusively on Qualcomm silicon under a partnership that locked out every other chipmaker. Microsoft chose Qualcomm in 2016, and until the deal lapsed, no rival could ship an Arm chip in a Windows PC. Arm CEO Rene Haas confirmed in an interview in January 2024 that Qualcomm's exclusivity with Microsoft would lapse that year, the first on-record acknowledgment from a principal after years of the deal being treated as an open secret. Reuters had reported in 2024 that MediaTek, Nvidia, and AMD were all building Arm Windows chips to enter once the window opened.

Microsoft's role in RTX Spark goes deeper than the Copilot+ certification program it handed Qualcomm, however. The two companies built the agent security stack together at the operating-system level: identity, containment, and policy primitives in Windows, paired with OpenShell's ability to route queries to local models based on a user's privacy rules and to mask personal information in queries sent to the cloud.

Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said the launch will deliver "unmetered intelligence to every home and every desk with Windows,” an outwardly materially closer integration than the Snapdragon X program ever received.

Windows on Arm

Qualcomm spent its eight years of exclusivity demonstrating that Windows on Arm could work, but failing to make it sell. Snapdragon X laptops moved roughly 720,000 units in the third quarter of 2024, their first full quarter on sale, which Canalys data put at about 0.8% of PC shipments that quarter. ABI Research projected Arm wouldn’t clear 13% of the PC market in 2025. Qualcomm's own counter-figures were heavily conditioned: CEO Cristiano Amon's "more than 10%" share claim, made on the company's Q1 2025 earnings call, covered only U.S. retail Windows laptops priced above $800 in a single quarter.

A big factor behind this lacklustre performance was software issues. Microsoft’s Prism runs x86 apps on Arm, but in our own analysis of Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, we found that professional tools like AutoCAD were unsupported, and games crashed or rendered incorrectly under emulation. The original Snapdragon X pitch leaned heavily on battery life as a huge differentiator, but then Intel's Lunar Lake matched that efficiency, giving buyers long battery life on x86 chips that run every Windows app natively, with no emulation and none of the slowdowns or crashes that came with it. Ultimately, Arm's share of Windows never reached the 50% within five years that Arm and Qualcomm had floated back in 2024.

Two familiar problems

Unlike Qualcomm, Nvidia isn’t selling battery life. RTX Spark's USP is the GPU, CUDA, and the 128GB unified memory pool, hardware aimed at local AI, agents, creators, and gamers rather than all-day portability. Adobe is rearchitecting Photoshop and Premiere for the platform with a claimed two-times uplift in AI and editing workflows, and over 100 Windows software vendors, plus game developers including KRAFTON, NetEase, Remedy Entertainment, Riot Games, and Microsoft Xbox are listed as backing the platform.

Two problems dogged Windows on Arm for nearly a decade that won’t simply disappear with a faster chip, though. First: x86 emulation. Any application without a native Arm build still runs via Prism, and that has meant performance penalties and outright failures across the Snapdragon era.

Nvidia's full CUDA and RTX stack is native, which helps AI and graphics workloads, but says nothing about the long tail of legacy Windows software and peripheral drivers. The second problem is Microsoft itself: its slow progress on the next-gen Windows on Arm platform was cited as a primary cause of the N1X delays, and developers won’t be getting the full picture of the Windows agent features until Microsoft's Build keynote on June 2nd and 3rd, days after the chip was announced.

As for pricing, we’ve got nothing on that yet. The only reference point is the DGX Spark's $3,999 desktop baseline, a figure that’s now approaching $5,000 but also heavily inflated by enterprise networking hardware that consumer-grade devices will omit. That said, LPDDR5X memory costs and TSMC 3nm manufacturing both point toward premium pricing rather than the sub-$700 bracket Qualcomm targeted to broaden Arm's reach.

With the RTX Spark, Nvidia is opening a door that Qualcomm could only pry at, carrying the one asset it never had, and inheriting compatibility and OS dependencies that no amount of compute can resolve on its own.

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon C Platform on May 28th, ahead of Computex 2026 in Taipei, an entry-level Arm processor built to anchor Windows 11 laptops priced from $300. The chip abandons the Oryon CPU cores that define the Snapdragon X family in favor of an older Kryo design pulled from Qualcomm's smartphone parts, runs in machines carrying as little as 8GB of memory, and skips Microsoft's Copilot+ certification. We went hands-on with Snapdragon C at Computex 2026 today.

Meanwhile, analysts from TrendForce, Gartner, and IDC are all warning that a surge in memory prices is making the sub-$500 laptop market financially unviable, which could lead to its disappearance in its entirety.

Kryo cores, not Oryon

The "C" stands for Compute, and the new platform sits beneath every Snapdragon X and X2 part Qualcomm sells. Where those chips use the Nuvia-derived Oryon cores Qualcomm acquired in 2021, Snapdragon C reuses Kryo cores from its phone lineup, the architecture Qualcomm built laptop silicon on before the Oryon transition. Mandar Deshpande, senior director of product management at Qualcomm, told reporters at a pre-launch briefing that the platform "is not built to scale up to the Copilot+ requirements," meaning it clears neither Microsoft's 40 TOPS neural-engine floor nor the 16GB memory minimum tied to the Copilot+ PC program.

Qualcomm has disclosed little else; core counts, clock speeds, neural-engine throughput, the manufacturing node, and the supported memory type were all absent from the announcement, with the company saying it would detail them during its Computex keynote this week. Reported leaks point to a 6nm-class part with eight cores, though none of that is confirmed.

The first machine is Acer's Aspire Go 15. Acer's specification sheet lists a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 display, up to 8GB of memory, up to 512GB of storage, a 53Wh battery, and Windows 11 with a Copilot key but no Copilot+ branding. Acer hasn’t given the laptop a price or a release date, and HP and Lenovo, both named as launch partners, have yet to unveil their own machines.

Memory prices dictate retail prices

Snapdragon C enters a market where memory has arguably become the deciding factor in what a laptop ultimately retails for. TrendForce projects that conventional DRAM contract prices rose 90% to 95% in the first quarter of 2026 and will climb a further 58% to 63% in the second, with mobile DRAM — the LPDDR type Snapdragon C depends on — rising as much as 93% to 98% quarter over quarter.

Meanwhile, Gartner expects combined DRAM and SSD pricing to increase 130% by the end of 2026, lifting average PC prices 17% and pushing memory from 16% to 23% of a typical laptop's bill of materials. Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner, said in a February forecast that the increases have removed vendors' ability to absorb the cost, and that "the sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028." IDC reached a similar conclusion, cutting its 2026 global PC shipment forecast to a decline of 11.3% and warning that bargain-priced PCs are, for now, behind us.

The squeeze is already visible further up the Windows line-up. HP told investors that memory now makes up roughly 35% of its PC bill of materials, up from the mid-to-high teens a quarter earlier, and Lenovo told TechRadar there was "no way around" the price increases it would pass to buyers. Microsoft's cheapest Surface Laptop now starts at $1,149, a position that no longer competes for budget buyers at all, and a significant jump from its original $899 launch price.

A new entry-level tier?

Qualcomm isn’t the first manufacturer to repurpose a binned phone processor; Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo, announced in March, runs the A18 Pro from the iPhone 16 Pro alongside 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage in a fanless 13-inch body. That’s the same maneuver Qualcomm is attempting by using Kryo silicon in the Snapdragon C.

Apple claims that the Neo runs up to 50% faster than a comparable Intel Core Ultra 5 laptop and three times faster in on-device AI, but that’s all based on its own internal benchmarks against an unnamed machine. Asus co-CEO S.Y. Hsu, on the company's first-quarter earnings call, called Apple's pricing "a shock to the entire industry."

On the Windows side, Intel launched Wildcat Lake as its Core Series 3 family in April, built on the 18A node with a roughly 17 TOPS neural engine and more than 70 laptop designs in the pipeline. Its Project Firefly reference platform targets sub-$600 x86 machines, and Chinese vendor CHUWI has already shown a Wildcat Lake laptop, the “UniBook,” at $449.

AMD's budget option remains the aging Ryzen 7020 "Mendocino" series, a 6nm part pairing Zen 2 cores with RDNA 2 graphics and no neural engine, with no direct successor yet below $500.

At this level, Qualcomm’s most immediate competition may well be its own back catalog. The Snapdragon X-powered Asus Vivobook 14, with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, has sold for $379.99 at Best Buy, undercutting the price Snapdragon C is chasing while offering twice the memory and faster Oryon cores.

$300 and up figure is guidance

The $300 figure is guidance Qualcomm shares with manufacturers, not a price it sets, and Acer's refusal to confirm a number for the Aspire Go 15 is arguably an immediate tell that it’s not going to retail anywhere near that price.

With LPDDR5 contract pricing reported above $10 per gigabyte, the memory alone in an 8GB configuration now costs roughly what a whole budget laptop's components once did, and OEMs are passing those costs through. A first wave landing between $349 and $449 in the U.S. is a more realistic price point.

Dropping Copilot+ is, of course, a concession that has made this price possible; buyers lose Recall, Cocreator, and the richer Windows Studio Effects modes, and because Copilot+ has yet to drive measurable Windows upgrade demand, Qualcomm and its partners appear willing to trade the badge for a lower bill of materials.

Whether the platform holds its line depends on the specifications Qualcomm has so far withheld, potentially coming imminently at Computex, and on whether HP and Lenovo ship Snapdragon C machines this year or wait for memory prices to ease.

We've learned a few new details of the Snapdragon C platform at Computex 2026 by opening up a few Windows utilities on a demo unit. Qualcomm's new Snapdragon C Platform is designed to bring more compute performance to a lower price point, but the company has been tight-lipped about the finer details of the chip behind the new $300 and up platform. We managed to see the Snapdragon C chip in the flesh for the first time in the 15" Acer Aspire Go 15 (AG15-Q31P), which was dutifully locked in a glass case to keep the prying eyes of the press at bay. However, we managed to tinker with a unit that was briefly allowed outside of the case by a Qualcomm rep, thus getting access to the Windows Task Manager and System Information utilities.

Qualcomm hasn't shared the specific model of the CPU yet, but we are told that it uses a customized version of the mobile-focused Kryo chips. The Task Manager shows one new tidbit: the CPU comes with an eight-core CPU that was running at 1.67 GHz, but this was at idle - the chip has a listed 3.01 GHz base speed. The Task Manager names this as the Snapdragon 8c Gen 3, a chip that does not exist, but certainly aligns with the basic naming nomenclature of the 8cx Gen 3.

A Qualcomm representative was quite perplexed by this, saying that this is not the official name of the chip and that it is probably a placeholder identity string used by Acer's engineers for the Engineering Sample system (EDIT: Qualcomm has now confirmed this is not the correct name for the processor).

We can also see that the chip sports 512 KB of L1 cache, 1.5 MB of L2, and 2.0 MB of L3, all of which are significantly less than seen with the 8cx variant. It is unclear if those values are also merely placeholders.

Likewise, the integrated GPU is listed as the Adreno 8c Gen 3, featuring 1 MB of dedicated GPU memory and 3.9 GB of shared memory. We can also see that it supports DirectX 12. The System Information utility notes that the system runs Windows 11 Pro and, as expected, is an ARM64-based PC.

The laptop has a 16.5" FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, up to 8 GB of system memory, a 53 Wh battery, and up to 512GB of storage, with the latter two being slim but expected given the price point and current SSD and memory shortages. Additionally, it comes with a FHD webcam.

We also spot two USB-C ports on the side of the unit, but the speeds of these ports are unknown. There's also an HDMI port, a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. It also has support for Wi-Fi 6.

The grey clamshell design is attractive, with a sparkly paint that our Managing Editor Matt Safford likened to the sparkly paint jobs found on a 1980's BMX. The plastic case is rigid, so it doesn't feel like a flimsy low-end system when I snapped the screen open and closed.

As we noted in our original coverage of the Acer Aspire Go 15, the keyboard sports a Copilot+ key even though representatives have confirmed this device does not meet that standard due to its 8 GB of memory (16 GB is required). The Go 15 has a full-sized keyboard replete with a slim numpad, which I consider a big plus.

Neither Acer nor Qualcomm have shared performance projections yet for the new system, but we see that it has active cooling with a single fan nestled under the exhaust vents on the bottom of the machine, with some of the copper in the cooling subsystem also peeking through. We also see three exhaust ports on the base of the machine facing toward the screen.

Acer hasn't shared pricing yet, but we certainly expect this system to land in the "and up" part of the expected Snapdragon C Platform's "$300 and up" target market.

Microsoft has just announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, powered by Nvidia’s latest RTX Spark Superchip for laptops and desktop PCs, at Computex 2026. Claimed to be the most powerful Surface laptop device yet, the new Surface Laptop Ultra is essentially Microsoft’s answer to the current-gen MacBook Pro. The company has positioned the notebook primarily for AI development but also for creators and developers who seek powerful performance in a portable package.

Made in collaboration with Nvidia, the Surface Laptop Ultra will be one of the first devices featuring the RTX Spark Superchip. Nvidia’s new Windows on Arm platform is claimed to be more powerful and capable than any other on the market featuring 20 Arm CPU cores, a Blackwell GPU with 6144 CUDA cores, 128GB of unified LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 300 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The CPU and GPU are interconnected using NVLink C2C, while the large pool of unified memory can be dynamically allocated between the CPU and GPU. Offering up to 1 petaflop of AI compute, the RTX Spark is capable of running up to 120B parameter models locally.

As for the device itself, the new Surface Laptop Ultra will feature a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display with a resolution of 2880 x 1920, offering 262 pixels per inch. Microsoft claims that it can reach up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, which should be excellent for creators on the go. It also features a large haptic touchpad along with a good selection of ports, including HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, SD card reader, and a headphone jack. Weighing under just 4.5 pounds, it will be available in Platinum (silver) and Nightfall (black) color options. Microsoft claims all-day battery life on the laptop and an optimized internal layout with dual-fans to maintain proper thermals for sustained performance.

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is expected to arrive later this year, with final pricing and availability to be announced closer to launch. With the ongoing RAM-apocalypse, it seems like a smart move by Microsoft to adopt Nvidia’s new Arm platform with unified memory. Beyond reducing the need for large pools of dedicated system and graphics memory, the architecture should also help improve efficiency and enable larger AI models to run locally without relying heavily on cloud resources. If Nvidia's performance claims hold up in real-world workloads, the Surface Laptop Ultra could emerge as one of the most compelling Windows alternatives to Apple's MacBook Pro for AI developers, content creators, and power users alike.

Nvidia is transforming Windows into an agentic AI platform at Computex 2026. During his keynote, CEO Jensen Huang revealed the RTX Spark: a Windows on Arm platform for laptops powered by the company's RTX Spark Superchip. The company boldly claims that this platform is “the most efficient ever built,” and it’s throwing its full weight into building a first-class Windows on Arm experience for what it envisions as the next frontier of personal computing.

Nvidia says AI agents are already shaping a new mode of interaction with PCs. Instead of relying on the same mouse and keyboard inputs that have defined personal computing for 40 years, the company sees AI agents as a new interface that will let users command their systems and find information with natural language.

And once those agents have their marching orders, they’ll need to set goals, call tools, evaluate the quality of their work, and refine it, potentially using local and cloud AI models to achieve those ends. Agents might also continue working on long-running tasks even when the user is away from their system or overnight. That all requires powerful, efficient hardware and lots of local memory.

To power all this AI reasoning in the new era of computing it envisions, Nvidia is unleashing the RTX Spark Superchip, a Windows on Arm platform more powerful and capable any other on the market, and a roadmap for the Spark family outlining the next three generations of technology.

At full strength, this chip offers up to 20 Arm CPU cores, a Blackwell GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores, 128GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 300 GB/s of memory bandwidth. That powerful CPU and GPU, connected over NVLink C2C, and the large memory pool give AI agents and 120-billion-parameter models plenty of power and space for long-running tasks with context lengths stretching to a million tokens, according to Nvidia.

RTX Spark will power high-end laptops from partners including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and MSI -- and notably, a new Surface Ultra laptop from Microsoft. Nvidia says it’s worked with those partners to create “the most extraordinary laptops [they’ve] ever built,” with tandem OLED G-Sync displays, “all-day” battery life, premium aluminum chassis with large glass touchpads.

Nvidia says that the incredible efficiency of the RTX Spark platform “transforms what a high-performance laptop looks like,” so buyers in the promised agentic AI age will no longer need to choose between high performance or thin chassis with long battery life. RTX Spark PCs will also deliver similar performance whether plugged in or unplugged, as we’ve come to expect from other Windows on Arm and Apple Silicon-powered systems.

RTX Spark will also bring this agentic Windows on Arm experience to compact, powerful desktops in the vein of the DGX Spark. In total, Nvidia expects over 30 laptops and “10 or so” desktops to lead the charge when the platform launches.

In addition to its agentic AI chops, Nvidia positions the RTX Spark Superchip as a creative and gaming powerhouse. The company promises the platform is good for “100 FPS 1440p gaming,” potentially enabled by DLSS 4.5 upscaling and Multi Frame Generation. And its large memory pool means creators can work with massive 3D projects and ultra-high resolution video files like 12K 4:2:2 content without running out of resources.

To further the RTX Spark platform’s creative chops, Nvidia says it’s working with Adobe to rebuild the core of Photoshop, transforming it into a 100% GPU-accelerated application for RTX Spark. Those updates will enable new generative workflows, high-dynamic-range editing, and more natural brushing for artists.

And Premiere is also getting a core overhaul that’s claimed to enable faster and more sophisticated AI workflows, editing, color, and effects. Adobe will also expose Model Context Protocol controls for AI agents to harness its products.

In partnership with Microsoft, Nvidia is also helping to transform Windows into an agentic platform with its OpenShell framework and a “new set of security primitives” that form a set of guardrails, ensuring that local agents and models only have access to the tools and data the user grants them access to. Nvidia says Microsoft will reveal more details of this agentic AI transformation at its upcoming Build conference.

RTX Spark systems will begin arriving in the fall of 2026, and we can't wait to dig into them to see whether Nvidia's backing will truly transform the Windows on Arm experience for the agentic AI era - or just make for a really great PC platform. Stay tuned.

Dell has finally brought back the XPS 13, its famed system that introduced the InfinityEdge display and was once widely considered the best Windows laptop on the market. This time, though, the device is facing a very different market, and Dell is using it to target Apple's MacBook Neo and the newfound battle for the entry-level PC market.

The XPS 13 will start at $699, with a $599 deal for students 16 years and older, "for the back to school season." That's competitive for the specs, but $100 more than Apple's pricing on the Neo (and Apple's student pricing is year-round).

For that, you get Dell's thinnest and lightest XPS laptop to date, starting at 2.2 pounds and 0.5 inches thin, lighter than the Neo (2.7 pounds). The system has a CNC aluminum shell. Unlike the Neo, Dell is offering a backlit keyboard, albeit with a shallow 0.8 mm of travel (Dell is moving back to chiclet keys on this machine, which I appreciate). The company is also using a standard mechanical trackpad, like Apple has opted for. There will be just two color options, "sky" and "storm," with the latter coming sometime after launch.

But Dell is offering far more performance options here. The base models will use Intel's new "Wildcat Lake" processors, specifically the Core 5 320, but it will also offer the Panther Lake-based Core Ultra 7 355 sometime after launch.

While the XPS 13 will start with 8GB of RAM like the Neo, Dell will offer options up to 32GB. The Wildcat Lake options will be single-channel and go up to 16GB, while the Core Ultra configurations will have 16 and 32GB options in a dual-channel configuration. Meanwhile, storage will range from 256GB up to 1TB. As of this writing, we don't have pricing for the additional configuration options, but they'll likely push pricing far higher than Apple.

The XPS 13 boasts a 13.4-inch, 2560 x 1600 touchscreen display, making it larger than the Neo's 13 inches with the addition of touch, which Apple isn't currently offering. Dell's screen also offers a variable refresh rate panel between 30 Hz and 120 Hz.

The new XPS 13 is limited on port selection. While a pair of USB-C 3.2 Gen-2 ports will be fine for most people, a headphone jack would be a nice addition. Dell boosted these ports to Thunderbolt 4 on the Core Ultra versions.

The initial $699 starting configuration will include a Core 5 320, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD storage, the 2560 x 1600 touch screen. Dell tells us future configurations, in some regions, will have a 256GB SSD, which suggests the price could eventually go a little lower.

Dell is inviting the MacBook Neo comparisons. In a blog post, the company calls it out by name, calling it a "capable machine." But the company also says its XPS is a superior device: "Where Dell differs is what we think premium means at this price point and what we were willing to build to deliver it," the post reads.

The company points out that the XPS 13 is lighter than the Neo, has faster USB ports, a touch screen, and more configuration options that make it more powerful (albeit likely at a much higher price). We'll have to see if that will make students and young professionals choose Windows, or if Apple's ecosystem still proves a draw.

It's great to see Dell get into the mid-range segment with a premium device, rather than relying on its Inspirons. We're looking forward to testing one when it releases in June.

The Yoga Slim 7x (starts at $1,049; $1,579 as tested) is Lenovo’s latest take on a premium ARM ultraportable, aiming to deliver standout performance and battery life with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite under the hood. Paired with a comfy keyboard, an OLED touch panel, and a sharp webcam, and this is a slick overall package provided you’re not reliant on x86 apps. Also prepare to pack a few adapters, as USB-C is the only port in town.

Design of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Lenovo’s dark blue aluminum chassis feels premium and impressively rigid. The Slimi 7x didn’t creak or bend when I picked it up by a corner or the lid. (It’s not wise to pick up a laptop like that, but it happens.) Aesthetically, it offers an upscale, modern look though it doesn’t stand apart from the crowd outside its uncommon color.

At 12.28 x 8.7 x 0.55 inches (WDH) and 2.58 pounds, the Slim 7x has a slightly larger footprint but ducks under the weight of the 13-inch MacBook Air (11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, 2.7 pounds). Dell’s XPS 14 is heavier but slightly trimmer (12.19 x 8.26 x 0.58 inches, 3 pounds). Lenovo’s own Yoga Slim 7i (13.54 x 9.27 x 0.55 inches, 2.15 pounds) is slightly larger but noticeably lighter.

Port selection is limited to just three USB4 ports. There’s not even a headphone jack, so be prepared to take adapters. The power button and the webcam privacy shutter e-switch are on the right edge.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

We tested the Yoga Slim 7x with its top CPU, the Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100. It features 18 cores, 6 of which are high-performance, and boosts up to 4.7 GHz on two cores. The system also features 32GB of onboard memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Our comparison systems match the performance focus of this system. Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air ($1,299) uses a 10-core M5, followed by two 14-inch laptops: Dell’s XPS 14 ($2,199) leverages a Core Ultra X7 358H while Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition ($1,629) uses a Core Ultra 7 355. Asus’ 16-inch Zenbook A16 ($1,699) fills the last spot using an even higher grade of CPU than our Slim 7x – the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E-94-100, which boasts 18 cores like the X2E-88-100 but offers a wider 192-bit (as opposed to 128-bit) memory bus for 228GB/s versus 152GB/s of bandwidth.

On Geekbench 6, the Slim 7x’s single-core score (3,822 points) was practically tied ith Asus (3,807), leaving only the MacBook Air with a higher score (4,168). The Intel-based systems were left well behind. The Slim 7x also produced impressive multi-core results, though its 20,563 points weren’t in the same league as the Asus (22,733), which uses the X2 Elite Extreme.

The Slim 7x made an excellent showing in our 25GB file transfer test, averaging 1,934.78 MBps to tie the MacBook Air (1,924.84 MBps) and land ahead of the Asus (1,744.38 MBps). The XPS 14 trailed the group (1,419.76 MBps).

On Handbrake, the Slim 7x completed the 4K to 1080p video transcoding in 2 minutes and 11 seconds, just three seconds slower than the Asus and easily outgunning the others – Apple finished in 4:41 while the Slim 7i trailed at 5:56.

To stress test the CPU in laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The system started with a score of 5,926 but dropped to 5,168 on the second run, where it stayed within a few points for the remaining runs. During the test, the P2 cores ran at an average of 3.34 GHz while the P1 cores ran at 3.94 GHz.

Graphics on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

We run 3DMark Steel Nomad to gauge raw graphics horsepower. The Slim 7x’s Adreno X2-90 GPU scored 1,115 points, just behind the Asus (1,262) featuring the same silicon and bested Apple’s M5 integrated solution (1,005). The XPS 14, however, easily took the top spot with 1,446 points thanks to the potent Arc B390 graphics solution built into its Core Ultra X7 358H. The Slim 7i stood way in the back with just 513 points.

Display on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Our Yoga Slim 7x comes with a 1920 x 1200 OLED touch panel. It offers a pleasant picture overall, but isn’t a standout due to its modest brightness – an all-white screen barely makes me want to squint in a dim room. Watching Star Wars: Andor, the stormtroopers’ armor and blaster bolts didn’t pop with the intensity I expected. Colors, however, look rich, and space scenes show off OLED’s trademark inky blacks. The 60Hz refresh rate is par for the course. On the plus side, touch input feels smooth and responsive against the solid glass surface.

Lenovo offers a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel on higher-end configurations, which offers nearly twice the HDR brightness (1,100 versus 600 nits) and a 120 Hz variable refresh rate. (This panel was featured in the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition we reviewed.)

The OLED panel on the Slim 7x offers complete coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut, matching its stablemate, the Slim 7i. Its 321-nit peak brightness, however, isn’t impressive next to the Slim 7i’s 476 nits. Not even the IPS-equipped MacBook Air matches the latter.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Lenovo nailed the Slim 7x’s keyboard. The 1.5 mm key travel provides enough movement for your fingers to clearly tell when the key has reached the top or bottom of a stroke. The keys feel springy and snap back with a satisfying sound. Keycaps are slightly scooped with an 0.3 mm dish to help orient your fingers to the center of the key. I felt immediately comfortable on this keyboard, hitting 123 words per minute with 99% accuracy in MonkeyType on the first try. White backlighting, toggled with Fn + spacebar, provides excellent visibility.

Lenovo’s touchpad is also first-rate. Its matte surface is large relative to the 14-inch display. Physical clicks – this is a mechanical pad, not haptic – feel precise, require just the right amount of effort, and aren’t too loud.

Audio on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

The Slim 7x produces decent audio, with enough volume and fullness that you won’t regret forgetting your headphones. Clarity is a bit muffled by default, but enabling the Detailed equalizer in the Dolby Access app goes a long way towards addressing that, sharpening the soundstage.

Listening to William Black’s “Bleed 4 U”, I heard good separation between vocals and instruments, though the bass drop wasn’t that satisfying due to the lack of low-end response. This followed into Star Wars: Andor where explosions and footsteps didn’t quite have the impact for an immersive experience. Overall, though, two people in a quiet room can be easily entertained by this setup.

Upgradeability of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Four Torx T6 screws secure the Slim 7x’s bottom cover, with the front screws (below the palm rest) shorter than the rear ones. I used a plastic trim tool to pop the clips around the perimeter, starting in the speaker cutouts. The panel still felt stuck after I did this – it turned out a foam pad in the center had some adhesive on it. A gentle lift with my fingertips finally broke it free.

As Snapdragon laptops use nearly all soldered or integrated components, upgradeability is limited – here, just the M.2 2230 SSD and the battery can be changed out.

Battery Life on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Our battery rundown test sets the screen brightness at 150 nits while the system runs web browsing, streaming video, and light OpenGL tests while connected to Wi-Fi. The Slim 7x was in a class of its own, lasting 19 hours and 25 minutes. The next longest-lasting units were the Slim 7i (16:38) and the MacBook Air (15:28). The Asus lasted just 10:26 despite also using the same capacity battery as the Slim 7x.

Not shown in the charts, we tested a second version of the XPS 14 without the OLED screen and with a standard Core Ultra 7 355, which ran for an even more impressive 20:41.

Heat on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

We measure laptop surface temperatures while running our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test. Peak surface temperatures on the Slim 7x were 70 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 87 F between the G and H keys, and 100 F on the underside. The laptop felt only lukewarm to the touch. I could hear the fans running, but they weren’t loud enough to

We’re unable to report chip temperatures since the HWInfo tool we use to collect data doesn’t yet support precise enough monitoring on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon silicon.

Webcam on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Lenovo’s 9MP webcam offers excellent video quality. The 1440p video resolution shows fine details – holding my wrist next to my face a couple feet away, I could read the rather small typeface on my Apple Watch and see the links on my necklace. Noise reduction is also superb, with no noticeable grain even in the shadows below my head. The camera furthermore works well in challenging lighting situations – it managed to expose my face properly despite a bright lamp behind me, which was also exposed properly and didn’t look like a blur.

The camera includes an infrared sensor for facial logins with Windows Hello. There’s no physical privacy shutter, but a switch on the laptop’s right edge disconnects it from the laptop, an arguably more secure solution.

Software and Warranty on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

Lenovo’s software stack starts with the familiar Vantage app. In addition to software updates, diagnostics, and support access, it features a security advisor which verifies you have antivirus, a firewall, and are connected to a safe wireless network. Available system settings include a battery lifespan protector that caps the charge at 80% and power mode, with adaptive (the default), battery saver, or maximum performance toggles. The app also includes upsells for Lenovo’s Smart Lock and Smart Performance subscription services.

Some unwanted software is present, including a McAfee trial.

Lenovo includes a standard one-year warranty.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Configurations

We tested the Slim 7x with a 1920 x 1200 OLED touch display, Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100 processor, 32GB of memory, and a 1TB SSD. Its retail price was $1,579 from Best Buy, discounted from an $1,849 MSRP.

Models start at $1,049 from Lenovo.com with a Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, with a step-up $1,449 configuration offering an X2 Elite X2E-80-100 and 32GB of RAM. The range-topping $1,619 model upgrades to the X2 Elite X2E-88-100 and the 2880 x 1800 OLED display, which features a higher brightness rating and 120 Hz variable refresh rate.

The Slim 7x is priced on the lower side of Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops. Best Buy had Asus’ Zenbook A16 for $1,699 with 48GB of RAM. I also saw a 14-inch HP OmniBook Ultra featuring a 3K OLED screen for $2,049.

Bottom Line

Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7x is a compelling case for an ARM laptop. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite, it pushes performance and battery life to new heights among 14-inch ultraportables. Aside from its USB-C-only approach, it offers standout usability thanks to its comfortable input devices, lightweight design, and crisp webcam. While its OLED touch screen is perfectly usable, the visually discerning will find its optional 2880 x 1800 panel worthwhile.

Competition is tight – Apple’s MacBook Air remains a benchmark while Dell’s XPS 14, and Lenovo’s own Slim 7i offer strong Windows alternatives. But if you’re not tied to x86 software, the Slim 7x’s mix of performance, battery life, and pricing is hard to beat.

Ahead of Computex next week, Nvidia's social media accounts have begun promising "a new era of PC," along with the latitude and longitude of the Taipei Music Center, where CEO Jensen Huang will present his keynote for the event as part of GTC Taipei 2026.

While we don't have any idea exactly what's coming, it's intriguing to see who else is joining in on the game. The Windows X/Twitter account has shared the exact same message as Nvidia's, suggesting that we could see the long-rumored N1X laptop platform make its debut at Computex - and that it could be running Windows on Arm.

For background, N1X has long been rumored to be the mobile variant of the GB10 Superchip at the heart of the DGX Spark mini-PC, which boasts an RTX 5070-class GPU paired with 128GB of LPDDR5X memory and a powerful Mediatek-designed 20-core Arm CPU complex.

But the DGX Spark is an Ubuntu Linux-powered AI developer sandbox, not a jack-of-all-trades PC that can seamlessly run Windows apps, as the current crop of Windows on Arm platforms can. If Microsoft is putting its weight behind N1X, that could broaden the appeal of the platform for a more general computing audience by bringing the entire Windows app ecosystem to the platform.

Supporting N1X would also bring a powerful, advanced unified-memory-architecture AI computing platform into the Windows camp. None of Microsoft's other Windows on Arm partners have produced anything nearly as ambitious or powerful an AI foundation as the GB10 Superchip, so N1X laptops could be a major boost for the company's AI ambitions on Windows. Having that class of raw compute at its disposal could certainly inspire Microsoft to create new types of first-party local AI experiences that simply haven't been possible from the current crop of Copilot+ PCs and their relatively limited AI grunt.

But given what we know about GB10 already, the appeal of this type of system could be narrow at first. Because they share the same pool of LPDDR5X memory, the GB10 GPU enjoys just 273 GB/s of raw bandwidth, far less than that offered by more traditional laptops with dedicated GPUs that have their own pools of GDDR memory.

In our own experience, we've found that you can certainly game on GB10, but it's not the platform's strongest suit. So unless there's a major change in the platform's architecture or resources waiting in the wings, N1X PCs will likely need to deliver a new type of experience with their AI potential that's missing from current systems and platform architectures.

And N1X PCs will almost certainly be expensive amid the current silicon crunch. GB10 boxes are all selling for around $5000 by our reckoning, and that's partially because they include an exotic NIC that almost certainly won't make its way into any potential laptops powered by this platform. But massive pools of RAM and large SSDs don't come cheap right now, either, so we're still likely to be looking at pricey partner systems.

A broader product stack than the 128GB GB10 with smaller memory options and lower CPU and GPU resource counts could help make these systems relatively more affordable while still keeping them plenty powerful for local AI.

In short, there's still plenty we don't know about how an N1X-powered AI PC will look, but the fact that Nvidia and Microsoft could be teaming up to make it a Windows on Arm platform is a big deal in itself. We'll be on the ground at Computex 2026 very soon, and we'll report back with details on this potential development as we learn more.

Acer is bringing two new gaming laptops, along with a handful of interesting companion pieces, to Computex 2026.

Headlining the laptops is the Predator Helios 18 AI, packing up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and RTX 5090 mobile GPU. The smaller Acer Nitro 16 tops out lower at a mobile RTX 5070 Ti, but comes with a CPU from AMD: either the Ryzen 9 9955HX, or the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with AMD’s coveted 3D V-Cache. Joining the two flagship devices, which are looking to earn a spot among the best gaming laptops, are a streaming-only handheld called the Nitro Blaze Link, a travel backpack with integrated USB-C laptop charging, and a TKL keyboard boasting an 8,000 Hz polling rate.

The Predator Helios 18 AI is naturally Acer’s flagship device this year, packing top-level specs from Nvidia and Intel. Outside of the main compute, the laptop supports up to 256GB of DDR5 memory (no word on speeds yet), as well as 6 TB of storage, including three PCIe 5.0 NVMe slots. The platform provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, including support for Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro, allowing you to leverage the included RJ-45 plug and your normal Wi-Fi connection simultaneously.

Acer unsurprisingly built out the connectivity of the laptop. In addition to an RJ45 plug (presumably Gigabit, but Acer hasn’t confirmed speed yet), the Predator Helios 18 AI comes with dual Thunderbolt 5 ports (Type-C), two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, HDMI 2.1, a full-sized SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The laptop is large, coming in at 15.8 inches wide and 12.1 inches tall, with a thickness of 0.68 inches at the thinnest point and 1.2 inches at the thickest. It’s heavy, as well, clocking in at 7.7 pounds, partially due to the 99 Wh battery.

Rounding out the laptop is an 18-inch 4K mini-LED display with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 (16:10). Acer claims the panel can reach 1,000 nits, and it allows you to switch between 4K and 1080p resolutions, either at 120 Hz for 4K or 240 Hz for 1080p. The display supports Nvidia G-Sync and Advanced Optimus to leverage the integrated GPU when you’re away from the charger. Powering audio is an array of six speakers under Acer’s Predator Vox branding, along with support for DTS:X Ultra.

On the key deck, Acer is offering a mechanical keyboard with its Predator MagKey 4.0 switches, allowing you to swap key caps on some switches. You can also deck out the lighting with per-key RGB. Acer hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the laptop yet, but given the current state of DRAM and NAND prices, the Helios 18 AI will likely start at several thousand dollars.

The Acer Nitro 16 is smaller in both size and specs, but it still packs in some powerful hardware. Taking the CPU slot is either the Ryzen 9 9955HX or 9955HX3D, the latter of which we’ve only seen in a handful of devices. The Nitro 16 doesn’t support an RTX 5090, but Acer is still offering the laptop with up to an RTX 5070 Ti mobile GPU with 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM.

Compared to the Helios 18 AI, everything is more sensible. You can pack up to 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and up to 2 TB of storage across two PCIe 4.0 slots. Connectivity is still decent with a USB 4 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a single USB 2.0 port, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card slot, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and an RJ-45 connector. Wireless connectivity is still provided through an Intel chipset, sporting Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

For the display, you get a 16-inch 2560 x 1600 (16:10) panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate, with claimed response times of 3 ms, alongside Nvidia G-Sync and Advanced Optimus. Acer includes two speakers with DTS:X Ultra, alongside a Full HD webcam. Like the Predator Helios 18 AI, we don’t have pricing or availability details for the Nitro 16 yet, but Acer describes it as “a value-driven powerhouse,” so hopefully it won’t be too expensive.

Acer Nitro Blaze Link, Aethon 750 TKL, and Robust Plus

Alongside the two laptops, Acer revealed a handful of new companion devices. Chief among them is the Nitro Blaze Link, which is a streaming-only handheld that’s designed to work on your home network. The handheld uses the streaming clients Sunshine or Moonlight on top of a Debian-based OS to stream games from your main rig. The handheld isn’t capable of running games locally (at least not officially). Acer hasn’t shared what chip is powering the handheld, but with just 1 GB of LPDDR4-2133 and 8 GB of eMMC flash storage, you shouldn’t expect much.

Without any real compute under the hood, the Nitro Blaze Link is light at only 464 grams, or just a smidge over 1 pound. It charges with just 15W over USB-C and includes a single-cell 18 Wh battery, alongside a Wi-Fi 6 antenna. The screen is a 7-inch 1920 x 1200 display with five-point multi-touch, and you get a pair of built-in 2W speakers. Again, Acer hasn’t shared pricing or availability for the Nitro Blaze Link.

Outside of mobile devices, Acer has the Aethon 750 TKL and Robust Plus backpack. The Aethon 750 TKL is described as a “tournament-grade keyboard,” matching the specs we’ve seen from devices from brands like Razer and Logitech, among the best gaming keyboards. The TKL keyboard features three modes of connectivity, including wired, 2.4 GHz, and Bluetooth, and it comes with a speedy 8,000 Hz polling rate.

Finally, there’s the Predator Robust Plus backpack, which is, well, a backpack that can fit up to an 18-inch laptop. It looks robust enough, pun intended, but the unique offering is an integrated passthrough cable for charging your devices from an external power bank. There are plenty of backpacks with a cable passthrough, but if you want to deck out your travel setup with all Acer gear, you can.

Computex 2026 is just getting underway, and Tom’s Hardware is on the ground in Taipei to check out all of the latest announcements. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see Acer’s latest devices in the flesh, alongside reveals from several other brands.

Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon C Platform today in the runup to Computex 2026. The Snapdragon C (Compute) Platform will power budget laptops designed to compete in the the $300 range, and features a processor based on a custom variant of its Kryo chip architecture that was originally designed for mobile phones. The platform is designed to slot in under the company's higher-performance Snapdragon X chips and runs Windows on Arm, but it notably features an NPU for local AI workloads in this low price tier, whereas most Windows-based Copilot+ laptops with an NPU fall into a higher price tier. However, while the platform supports local AI processing, Qualcomm did confirm that Snapdragon C will not support Copilot+.

Given its low price point, it isn't surprising that the Snapdragon C Platform addresses light workloads for families, small businesses, and students. Utilizing a customized Kyro architecture tailors the chip for long battery life and cool operation, which hints at the option for fanless designs.

While the company hasn't shared any meaningful details about the chip or laptop specifications, we do have a few details from Acer's announcement of its Aspire Go 15 based on the new platform. The Aspire Go 15 will feature 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, though it is unclear if that will represent the high watermark for the new platform. Qualcomm did say that we should expect limited RAM capacity due to increasing memory pricing, a side-effect of the ongoing shortages.

Naturally, at around $300, these chips will compete with Chromebooks powered by Intel's N-Series and Mediatek's Kompanio series. AMD also competes in this pricing tier with its Medocino processors.

“As costs rise and customer expectations evolve, Snapdragon C brings together value oriented computing, all-day battery life, AI capabilities and responsive performance in cool-quiet devices for expanded platform choice,” said Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm's SVP and GM of Compute and Gaming. “We’re delivering modern computing experiences that help our ecosystem reach new audiences and expanding access to reliable, efficient technology for students, families, customer-facing small businesses, and beyond.”

Acer, HP, and Lenovo will launch new laptops based on the chips, but haven't shared firm specifications or launch dates. Qualcomm says it will reveal more details during its Computex 2026 keynote.

Clearly, the affordability and quality of design that Apple’s MacBook Neo delivers struck a nerve with Windows device makers. First, we heard about Intel’s competing low-cost Core Series 3 (Wildcat Lake) platform, and now Qualcomm is jumping in on the low-cost game as well, with the Snapdragon C Platform, announcing first in Acer’s Acer Aspire Go 15.

As of this writing, we know next to nothing about the specs of the Snapdragon C (it’s even unclear whether or not there will be more than one chip). Qualcomm has revealed that the Snapdragon C devices will be priced at $300 and up. But according to Acer’s press release, its Acer Aspire Go 15 will sport a Snapdragon C processor, and sell for a non-specific “entry-tier price point” at an even less-specific “later date.”

But we do have a few photos of the new laptops, and Acer is clearly taking jabs at Apple with the proclamation that its laptop sports “dual full-function USB Type-C ports and an HDMI port.” You’ll also get twice the storage of the baseline Apple Neo, at 512GB, but you’ll have to live with 8GB of RAM, just like, well, probably all entry-level laptops at this point – at least until someone tries to get away with 4GB again.

The Aspire Go 15 will run Windows 11 Home, have a 1920 x 1080 (16:9) display, a 1080p webcam, and a 53 Wh battery. Interestingly, the laptop will still sport a Copilot key, despite just 8GB of RAM. And at least in Acer’s announcement, there’s no mention of TOPSs. Something might have changed since 2024, but Qualcomm has seperately confirmed that Snapdragon C will not support Copilot+.

The Swift Spin 14 AI is a convertible, not a modern washing machine setting

The other Qualcomm-based laptop that Acer is announcing at Computex combines two of its sub-brands, the Swift and the Spin, resulting in the Swift Spin 14 AI. Rather than the most-marketed setting on a 2026-model Maytag washer, the Swift Spin 14 AI is a convertible laptop powered by either a Snapdragon X2 Elite, or an X2 Plus processor, both with 80 TOPS of local AI capabilities. So this model will be decidedly pricier than the Aspire Go 15.

With up to 12 CPU cores, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, its 65 Wh battery is said to deliver up to 23 hours of video playback, or 16.5 hours of web browsing. The cobalt blue aluminum shell certainly stands out, and the included 100W PD adapter should make for very fast charging.

The 16:10 IPS display delivers 1920 x 1200 resolution at a rating of 300 nits, and the laptop makes room for an internally stored stylus, while weighing in at 2.95 pounds. Price had yet to be determined at the time of writing, but Acer says the Swift Spin 14 AI will be available in starting in July Europe, Middle East, and Africa, in August in North America, and a less-specific Q3 in Australia.

Microsoft has just unveiled its latest generation of Surface devices for businesses. The new Panther Lake-powered lineup includes two refreshed machines along with a new entry-level Surface Laptop that somehow costs more than the MacBook Air but features only 8GB of RAM amid the AI gold rush. Let's see what these machines have to offer.

Surface Laptop 13-inch

First, there's the new Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition). This seems to be the same device Microsoft launched last year on the Snapdragon X Elite platform, now incorporating Intel's Panther Lake chips instead. It's a new chassis for the Surface for Business lineup, and it starts at $1,499 with 16GB of RAM and a Core Ultra 5 325 CPU.

There's also an 8GB model planned for later this year that'll cost $1,299 instead. For reference, Microsoft determines that at least 16GB of RAM is required for a PC to be Copilot+ compatible, so the 8GB model of the 13-inch Surface Laptop is not ready for local AI tasks according to the company's own guidelines.

RAMpocalypse or not, it's worth remembering just how limiting 8GB of RAM is in 2026 — even flagship phones get more than that now. Apple's otherwise excellent $600 MacBook Neo was criticized for only featuring 8GB of memory despite its entry-level ambitions, so you can imagine just how risible that spec is for a system at more than double the price.

Anyhow, you get 2x USB-C and 1x USB-A ports, both running at USB 3.2 speeds, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on this laptop. The same Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity, a 1080p webcam, and up to 22 hours of local video playback. The 13-inch screen is still branded as "PixelSense" but it's only 1080p 60 Hz and has no HDR support. But the laptop is still made out of aluminum, which is to be expected for a device that costs this much.

When do you buy an upgrade for your PC setup?

Surface Laptop 8

The higher-end Surface Laptop 8 comes in two different variants: 13.8-inch and 15-inch. The base 13.8-inch model starts at $1,949, featuring a Core Ultra 5 335 with 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB of PCIe 4.0 storage that's user-replaceable. The 15-inch model starts at $2,149 instead and upgrades the display resolution to 3270x2180, which comes out to 262 PPI versus the 201 PPI you'll get on the 13.8-inch machine.

You can spec out either variant with up to a Core Ultra X7 368H with Arc B390 graphics, a 1TB SSD and 64GB of RAM. The absolute maxed-out model will cost $4,499. For context, you can get the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro with a M5 Max (upgraded to 40-core GPU), 64GB memory, and 2TB of significantly faster PCIe 5.0 storage for $4,599.

The Surface Laptop 8 offers up to 23 hours of "local video playback" on the 13.8-inch model and up to 21 hours on the 15-incher. Apart from the size, both variants have identical displays specs — 120 Hz, 3:2 aspect ratio "PixelSense" IPS touchscreens with a maximum brightness of 600 nits across SDR and HDR content. The 13.8-inch model also gets a software-driven "integrated privacy screen" that can obfuscate content on your screen at an angle, similar to what Samsung has done with its Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Lastly, as mentioned before, the Surface Laptop 8 shares the same design as its predecessor, the Surface Laptop 7, but there's one upgrade under the hood that Microsoft is calling "advanced haptics." The trackpad will now intelligently simulate clicks with tactile feedback, such as steps in a volume slider or snapping windows to corners. Beyond Windows 11, third-party apps can also take advantage of this feature.

Surface Pro 12

Last up is the Surface Pro 12, and it comes in the same 13-inch configuration as the previous Surface Pro 11. It's a 2-in-1 tablet that comes with a detachable keyboard that works with Surface Connect magnets, so you can use your old accessories with it. It also starts at $1,949 and features the same Core Ultra 5 335 CPU and 16GB of memory, along with the removable 256GB SSD.

The specs page says you can upgrade it to a Core Ultra 7 366H, but we didn't see that option in Microsoft's device configurator, nor could we find the 1TB storage or 64GB RAM models. There's an option for an OLED display listed, too, but once again, it's not actually available when you go to buy the device. Instead, the Surface Pro 12 gets a 13-inch version of the same "PixelSense" display you see on the Surface Laptop.

For connectivity, there are 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports and that's it, but there's also Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support. The Surface Pro has two cameras — a 10-megapixel 4K shooter on the back and a 1440p webcam up front. The battery life is rated at up to 17 hours.

Microsoft is targeting the business and enterprise segment with these new Surface products, so they cost a bit more than their consumer counterparts. These business devices come with extra security features, more thorough remote management, and generally better stability since professionals are supposed to rely on them for critical work. The consumer devices stripped of these extras should be a bit cheaper.

MSI’s Raider 16 Max HX (starting at $2,999) is one of the fastest gaming laptops, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU and up to an Nvidia RTX 5090. Besides performance, this laptop delivers a vibrant OLED display and lasts much longer on battery than expected.

While it’s missing a mechanical keyboard and could use a faster storage drive, it remains a viable pick if you’ve got the cash – our RTX 5090 review model is priced at a lofty $4,099.

Design of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

The Raider’s thick chassis, flashy LED lighting, and lid graphics make no attempt to hide its gaming pedigree. The light bar along the front edge of the chassis and the shield logo on the lid back are customizable for effects and colors in the SteelSeries GG app. The laptop pulls off an aggressive look without overdoing it. Ignoring its size, there’s not a lot to attract the eye with the lighting disabled.

Measuring 14.29 by 10.62 by 1.14 inches (WDH), the Raider occupies a similar footprint compared to the Alienware 16 Area-51 (14.37 by 11.41 by 1.12 inches) and Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (13.94 x 10.55 x 0.90 inches). However, the MSI is easily the lightest of the group, at 5.73 pounds versus Alienware’s 7.49 and Asus’ 6.28 pounds.

The Raider's construction might have something to do with that – while the chassis feels solid enough, it definitely feels plasticky. The lid is aluminum, but it feels thin and flexes more than I expected. At least the lid’s hinges are smooth and sturdy.

MSI’s port selection is practical, with ports on three sides. On the left are two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and an SD card reader; on the right, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 and an audio jack; and on the back, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, and another USB-A port. The 400 W power brick attaches to a USB-like proprietary connector on the back. The laptop also features a cable lock slot on the left edge. Inside, the Raider utilizes a Killer BE1750 networking card supporting the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 standards.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

We tested the Raider 16 Max HX in flagship form, featuring a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, RTX 5090 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM.

Playing F1 24 at 2560 x 1600 with Ultra High settings and DLSS disabled, I saw the game average in the mid to low 90s when monitoring frames per second. The Raider didn’t skip a beat.

The high-end gaming laptops in our comparison lineup include the Alienware 16 Area-51 (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, RTX 5080 175 W, $4,309), Asus’ ROG Strix Scar 16 (Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5080 175 W, $3,299), and Razer’s last-gen Blade 18 (Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5090 175 W, $5,199). All share the same class of CPU, with our MSI and the Alienware sporting the Arrow Lake Refresh chips, and all use an Nvidia RTX graphics card with a maximum graphics power rating of 175 W.

Our comparisons focus on FPS at 1920 x 1080, but we also included results at each laptop’s native resolution, which was 2560 x 1600 for all except the Razer’s 3840 x 2400.

On Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the Highest detail preset, the Raider’s 197 FPS at 1080p was second only to the Razer (213 FPS) and edged ahead of the Alienware (191 FPS). The Raider produced the best numbers at native resolution, with 134 FPS next to the Alienware’s 116 FPS and the Asus’ 112 FPS. These differences are slight but show that the RTX 5090, which is also present in the Razer, offers a touch more performance than the RTX 5080 found in the Alienware and Asus.

Running Cyberpunk 2077 at the Ray Tracing Ultra preset, the RTX 5090 laptops continued distinguishing themselves, with the Raider again topping the charts. Its 70 FPS was just behind the Razer (74 FPS) but well ahead of the Alienware (63 FPS) and Asus (61 FPS). It maintained that lead at native resolution, producing 42 FPS against Alienware’s 39 FPS and Asus’ 35 FPS.

Moving to Far Cry 6 at the game’s Ultra preset, these laptops produced mostly indistinguishable performance, though the Raider slightly edged ahead of the Alienware and Asus at 1080p.

The Raider continued its strong performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 at Medium settings, where its 130 FPS at 1080p outpaced the Alienware’s 123 FPS but was just shy of Razer’s 132 FPS. Meanwhile, it dominated native resolution, with 90 FPS against the 77 FPS each produced by Alienware and Asus.

Testing Borderlands 3 at the “Badass” preset, the Raider tied with Razer with 189 FPS for the highest 1080p number, clearly surpassing the Alienware (164 FPS) and Asus (156 FPS). This gap is wider than we saw in some of the other games.

MSI’s Raider delivers excellent gaming performance, landing neck-and-neck with the larger Blade 18. Its RTX 5090 delivers marginal but measurable performance advantages over Alienware’s RTX 5080 system, which runs at the same maximum graphics power. That said, the differences might not be noticeable to most gamers; MSI also offers this laptop with RTX 5080 for about $600 less. The RTX 5090’s other differentiator is its larger 24GB frame buffer versus the RTX 5080’s 16GB, though the latter is already more than enough for today’s games.

We stress test gaming laptops running 15 loops of the Metro Exodus stress test at RTX settings. During the test, the Raider averaged 142.3 FPS across all runs with almost no variance, starting the first loop at 143.5 FPS and finishing the final loop at 142.8 FPS. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus averaged 4.51 GHz on its P-cores and 2.59 GHz on its E-cores while the RTX 5090’s average boost clock was 1.99 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

We evaluated the Raider with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It’s notable MSI includes a PCIe 4.0 drive, not a PCIe 5.0 drive as we’d expect in a high-end gaming laptop. (One of its two M.2 slots supports PCIe 5.0 drives, MSI simply doesn’t equip it with a PCIe 5.0 drive.)

In Geekbench 6, these laptops are essentially neck-and-neck, though the refreshed Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus chips in the Raider and Alienware perform marginally better than the Core Ultra 9 275HX in the others. The real-world differences between these chips will likely go unnoticed.

In our 25GB file transfer test, MSI’s Raider performed well below par, with 1,357.93 MBps against the next-fastest Asus, with 1,841.41 MBps, and nowhere near the Alienware’s 2,738.9 MBps.

The Raider bounced back in Handbrake, completing the test in the shortest time at 1 minute and 51 seconds. The Alienware was the next quickest at an even two minutes, with the Razer (2:07) and Asus (2:24) trailing.

Display on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

The Raider’s 2560 x 1600 OLED display is one of its best features, offering a world-class picture for multimedia and everything else. Watching Blade Runner 2049, I noticed subtle creases on K’s trench coat, mesmerizing colors on Joi’s holograph, and the intricate detail in Wallace’s eyes. I also admired the searing brightness of my lightsaber and the feel of total blackness in caves and unlit rooms in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The 240 Hz refresh rate translates to smooth scrolling and no frame tearing. For immersion in any kind of media, this screen is sure to please.

These laptops use different screen technologies – OLED for the MSI and Alienware and mini-LED for the Asus and Razer. OLED demonstrates better color coverage, with the Raider’s 86.1% higher than Asus’ 81.2% and Razer’s 80% but not quite matching the Alienware’s 93.7%. However, the Raider’s 456-nit peak brightness was much sunnier than the Alienware’s 369 nits and practically tied the Asus and Razer.

In our HDR testing, not shown in the charts, the Raider’s 40% average was 991 nits and 100% average was 600 nits.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

MSI’s keyboard prioritizes gaming and makes some curious layout choices in the process. There’s no left Fn key, which has been moved next to the arrow keys. Oddly, another slash key is there, too. The MSI Center app allows toggling the Windows key and/or swapping it with the Fn key, but those use to left-handed Fn and Windows key shortcuts will need to adjust.

The arrow keys are full-size but the three-column number pad isn’t, which has a strange layout and tiny keys – it probably should have been left out in favor of dedicated macro or media control keys. Macros can still be configured in the SteelSeries GG app, but nothing beats dedicated keys.

Typing feel is quite satisfying, though, with a crisp keypress, just enough travel, and a rigid deck. I managed 119 words per minute with 99% accuracy in my usual MonkeyType run. A mechanical keyboard might further improve the typing experience; alas, MSI doesn’t offert one on this model, though Alienware does on its Aurora..

Keyboard backlighting is also more than bright enough and customizable in per-key RGB fashion, with patterns and layered effects using SteelSeries GG. In another gaming flourish, the WASD and arrow keys are transparent and appear extra bright.

MSI’s touchpad is also superb. Though it’s top-hinged rather than haptic, it clicks predictably and has plenty of surface area relative to the 16-inch display.

Audio on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

MSI’s built-in speakers satisfy casual listening. User-facing in the screen hinge, they project well even if the laptop isn’t on a solid surface. Bass doesn’t thump but is present, adding a sense of immersion in games and movies. The included Nahimic audio app provides equalizers that make the speakers sound much fuller than they would otherwise be, though beyond enabling the basic preset for Movies, Music, or Gaming, I didn’t hear a benefit to tweaking the other settings, such as bass and treble boost.

In Blade Runner 2049, I could hear the subtle strain in Lieutenant Joshi’s voice as she was being interrogated and the delicate patter of rainfall on the city streets. The Movie equalizer proved useful here, though I disabled the volume leveling feature as it made quiet scenes too loud. I also appreciated the audio in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, from the crunch of my footsteps over rocks to the piercing ignition of my lightsaber.

Upgradeability of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

MSI simplified the Raider’s upgradeability by housing all common components under a dedicated upgrade panel, secured with two Philips-head screws.

Behind the panel are the two SODIMM slots and two M.2 2280 PCIe slots, making these upgrades simple.

Removing the entire bottom panel is necessary to access the 92 Whr battery and the M.2 2230 wireless card. After removing the Philips-head screws around the edges, all of which are the same length, I found there was one more in the center under the upgrade panel that was hard to spot. Finding a gap between the chassis halves where I could fit my trim removal tool proved challenging, but I was able to make one along the LED lightbar on the front edge. The panel popped free after I freed the clips along the edges.

Battery Life on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

Our battery test consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. The Raider distinguished itself with a commanding time of 8 hours and 34 minutes, over two hours more than the Asus (6:30) and totally outclassing the Alienware’s 3:33.

Heat on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

We measure gaming laptop surface temperatures while running the 15 loops of our Metro Exodus stress test. During the test, the Raider peaked at 87 degrees Fahrenheit between the keyboard G and H keys, 74 F on the touchpad, and 109 F on the underside towards the exhaust vents. Internally, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus ran at 75 degrees Celsius across all cores while the RTX 5090 averaged 72 C.

Fan noise is well-controlled on the Raider – while gaming, the laptop’s built-in speakers are able to overpower the fan noise, and the fans are hardly noticeable for everyday tasks.

Webcam on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

MSI’s webcam produces satisfactory video quality. Though its 1080p resolution is the minimum accepted these days, it accurately exposed my face despite the window behind me and didn’t show any grain, even in the shadows of my black t-shirt. The webcam also includes an infrared (IR) sensor for facial logins with Windows Hello and a sliding privacy shutter.

Software and Warranty on the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

Minimal software is included on the Raider. MSI Center provides hardware monitoring, support access, and settings: the Windows key can be toggled and/or swapped with the Fn key, and there’s a toggle for USB power share. The app also provides power profiles for Extreme Performance, Balanced, or Eco (Silent), and features a MUX switch for disabling the onboard graphics.

Tinkering with the keyboard and external lighting is done through the familiar SteelSeries GG app, which sees the Raider as a device. Preset lighting patterns and color themes are included, and the app provides in-depth settings for creating your own, including layered effects.

MSI backs the Raider with a one-year warranty.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX Configurations

MSI offers three Raider 16 Max HX configurations through Micro Center, all of which feature a 240 Hz OLED display, Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The only difference between them is the GPU, with the base RTX 5070 Ti model (B2WJ-002US) commanding $2,999, the RTX 5080 $3,499 (B2WI-003US), and our tested RTX 5090 model $4,099 (B2WH-004US). Our model was discounted to $3,499 at review time.

MSI’s pricing is competitive among RTX 5090 laptops. The ROG Strix Scar 16 was $4,499 directly from Asus, though it included a 2TB SSD. Meanwhile, Alienware’s 16 Area-51 listed at $4,699, though a flash sale temporarily brought it down to $3,699.

Bottom Line

MSI’s Raider 16 Max HX delivers an elite gaming experience in a laptop: its Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and RTX 5090 push high frame rates with ease, the OLED panel looks superb, and the system stays impressively cool and quiet under load. Customizable lighting and practical connectivity round out its appeal.

At this price, though, a PCIe 5.0 SSD and more premium chassis materials would feel more appropriate. Compared with Alienware’s 16-inch Area-51, the Raider lacks a mechanical keyboard and isn’t quite as showy, but it counters with far better battery life and a noticeably brighter display. All in all, the Raider is a compelling option for anyone with the money to spend on it.

Apple’s MacBook Neo has redefined how we view budget laptops and has easily earned a spot on our list of best laptops. But Windows fans may finally see some competition with their go-to OS. Intel held a Core Series 3 processor (codenamed Wildcat Lake) launch event in China today, and alongside the launch came the announcement of Project Firefly (via ITHome). Project Firefly is an initiative to challenge the MacBook Neo by leveraging China’s efficient smartphone supply chain, allowing manufacturers to mass-produce Wildcat Lake-powered devices at the lowest possible cost.

When it comes to laptops, every vendor does its own thing with design and componentry. Project Firefly aims to revolutionize the process by streamlining laptop design and manufacturing, taking inspiration from the smartphone industry. In the world of smartphones, companies utilize standardized components and modular designs. Project Firefly wants to apply this model to laptops by introducing a universal standard and potentially smaller interfaces that manufacturers can use across different brands and models.

Factories can churn out millions of units with remarkable speed and cost-effectiveness. The new model should significantly drive down research, development, and production costs.

Project Firefly specifically targets the budget segment of the laptop market. Its impact will be noticeable in laptops equipped with Intel’s new Core Series 3 chips, not to be confused with the more premium Core Ultra Series 3 (codenamed Panther Lake) lineup. Announced last month, Wildcat Lake, which is based on Intel’s 18A process node, features between five and six Cougar Cove P-cores, notably without Hyper-Threading support.

Gao Song, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager of Software Engineering and Client Products, took the stage at the Wildcat Lake launch event in China to showcase a Project Firefly reference design laptop. The device immediately turned heads with its vibrant orange exterior, displaying the Intel Color branding on the top cover. The reference model flaunts a lightweight and thin profile (0.43 inches or 11mm) with a minimalist “Clean-D” design, as Intel calls it.

Intel’s partners, including major players like Asus, HP, and Honor, have already begun rolling out their Wildcat Lake-powered laptops in the Chinese market, with pre-tax prices ranging from $571 to $662. Chinese manufacturer Chuwi has also introduced the UniBook, which comes in at an especially aggressive MSRP of $449. However, it’s important to note that while these laptops benefit from the new Wildcat Lake platform, they are not products of Project Firefly. The very first laptop to arrive under Project Firefly will be Lenovo’s upcoming Lecoo Air 14.

Besides taking on Apple’s MacBook Neo, Project Firefly will also challenge Arm-powered laptops and Chromebooks, which are also aimed at budget-conscious consumers. If Intel succeeds in delivering high-quality, affordable laptops through Project Firefly, it. would offer buyers the option to stay within their x86 comfort zone.

Apple’s M5 Max SoC flagship is one of the fastest pieces of silicon around and can compete with flagship consumer desktop chips from AMD and Intel in at least some workloads. Logically, this also makes it a great gaming CPU if paired with high-end GPU hardware. Software engineer Scott J. Goldman put this idea to the test and found a way to run Nvidia’s flagship RTX 5090 graphics card on an M5 Max-powered MacBook Pro using virtualization and an eGPU dock. His results revealed that gaming on an RTX 5090 via a MacBook can deliver a great experience in modern AAA games, as long as frame generation is enabled.

The setup process was anything but easy. ARM-based MacBooks don’t officially support eGPU gaming with Nvidia GPUs, requiring Goldman to make a plethora of tweaks to enable it, most notably through virtualization with a Linux OS. MacOS does not support Nvidia GPUs (there is no native driver support), and Linux does not natively support Thunderbolt on Apple silicon. Virtualization gets around this problem by leveraging the strengths of macOS and Linux.

A few other quirks the software engineer had to address included setting up PCI BAR and enabling DMA (Direct Memory Access). One strange problem Goldman had to fix was a scheduling issue in QEMU where the default settings caused benchmark scores to fluctuate sporadically, due to a configuration issue in which the virtualization app did not set any priority level for the virtual CPU threads.

Beyond setting up a Linux virtual machine, implementing the FEX translation layer was also necessary to convert x86 instructions into ARM-based instructions that the M4 Max chip can understand. This was necessary as virtually no PC games support ARM.

With this software setup, the software engineer tested his M5 Max MacBook against a couple of other systems paired with an RTX 5090, featuring an older M4 Air, a 2020 Intel-powered Macbook Pro that is critically running Linux natively with no emulation or translation layers, and an i5-12600K gaming PC representing a traditional desktop experience. He also added benchmarks of the M4 and M5 Max devices running off their integrated GPUs.

His performance benchmarks reveal that the eGPU setup on the M5 Max and M4 MacBooks can deliver a smooth gaming experience as long as frame generation is used. Cyberpunk ran at well over 100 FPS on both Mac devices at the RT Ultra preset with frame generation enabled, despite the overhead of FEX translation, a virtualized Linux environment, and the RTX 5090 running off a Thunderbolt eGPU.

However, performance falls apart without frame generation. In Cyberpunk, at the same settings at 1080p, performance drops down to just above 60 FPS on the M5 Max MacBook and below 50 FPS on the M4-powered MacBook Air. Performance on the M4 system is so bad that the Core i7-1068NG7 in the 2020 MacBook Pro with the RTX 5090 achieves almost identical frame rates. By contrast, the Core i5-12600K system achieved over 150 FPS without frame generation. In other games that the software engineer was able to get running without crashing (Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Crysis Remastered), performance was below 60 FPS.

The main bottleneck is the FEX translation layer, which is hampering performance on Apple silicon-powered MacBooks. Goldman states that FEX incurs a roughly 50% performance penalty on the CPU compared to native ARM processing. This is clearly visible from his Geekbench 6 scores, where enabling FEX while using the Linux VM cut single and multi-core Geekbench scores in half. The software engineer also tested several other games and benchmarks, including GravityMark, where the performance drop-off between the eGPU setup and the native desktop experience (the 12600K setup) was only 20%.

Goldman’s results show that gaming on an RTX 5090 with an M5 Max chip is indeed possible, but the best method to game with this hardware combination requires frame generation to overcome the performance losses from the eGPU dock, as well as CPU processing for virtualization and translation. The performance potential is there, and in a perfect world, the RTX 5090’s performance would only be hampered by the eGPU connection. However, right now, the setup process alone makes this configuration far from ideal for gaming. We can only hope that one day Apple will cater to Mac gamers and provide better tools to make eGPU docks work seamlessly on M-series silicon.

Alienware has typically positioned itself as a premium brand of laptops and desktops for PC gamers. With the new Alienware 15 laptop, however, the Dell subsidiary is boiling down to the essentials in the hopes to reach a wider user base and offer a cheaper laptop.

For the lowest-end configurations, Alienware is digging in the parts bin for some older components, including AMD Ryzen 200 ("Hawk Point Refresh") and Intel Core Series 2 ("Raptor Lake") CPU options and GPUs starting with the RTX 4050 Laptop GPU in the United States, though some regions will start with the older RTX 3050 Laptop GPU.

In the U.S., the starting configuration with an AMD Ryzen 5 220, 16GB of RAM (1x16GB DDR5-5600), 512GB of storage, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU will start at $1,299, while the cheapest Intel variant, subbing out the Ryzen chip for an Intel Core 5 210H will run $1,349. A Dell spokesperson suggested that there may be promotions that lower the prices at some point.

Those starting GPUs have just 6GB of VRAM, where as an update to the RTX 50-series options will get you a roomier 8GB.

I had access to a pre-production unit for early hands-on time, but I wasn't able to benchmark it (stay tuned for a full review for that). My initial opinions of it were that it didn't feel like an Alienware laptop. I'm used to Alienware laptops including some aluminum or premium plastics. While this system looks the part, with the Alienware head logo and rounded edges of the company's AW30 design language, the black polycarbonate lid and bottom cover feel a bit cheap. The bezels, in shiny plastic, feel like a relic of the old Dell G-Series, and the whole thing feels halfway between a standard Dell laptop and an Alienware machine.

I'm not surprised to see plain, white keyboard backlighting, similar to the Alienware Aurora line. RGB lighting is about the easiest thing to cut.

Our hands-on unit, with an RTX 4050, had a simple rear foot. If you get an RTX 50-series GPU, the company adds the cryo-chamber found on the Alienware Aurora for some extra cooling.

The keyboard has 1.3mm of key travel, and only comes with white backlight, similar to the Alienware Aurora line. On the bright side, in a short hands-on time with it, I didn't notice much flex in normal typing. You also get a 180-degree hinge.I'm not looking forward to fully testing that display. Dell claims the 15.3-inch, 1920 x 1200 screen covers 62.5% of the sRGB gamut and offers 300 nits of brightness. That sounds about right — games and movie trailers looked dim and often washed out.

On the bright side, Alienware hasn't skimped on ports here, with two USB Type-A ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI 2.1, and a USB-C port with charging support and DisplayPort on the left side, while the right side has a 3.5 mm headphone jack and another Type-C port. These are slower, 5Gbps ports (USB 3.2 Gen 1 on all but the USB-C port on the left, which is USB 3.2 Gen 2) but if you're only using them for accessories, that shouldn't be a big deal.

Resident Evil Requiem seemed to run fine on the device at native resolution, even during a busy mid-game boss fight with tons of fire effects, but that game is extremely well-optimized. There's no unannounced silicon in this device, so we know what to expect, for the most part. But it didn't look amazing on the screen, which was dim and bland.

There will be more expensive versions, going up to an RTX 5060, 1TB of RAM, and either a Ryzen 7 or Intel Core 7 processor. Here's a table of configurations that Alienware provided:

It is understandable why Alienware is going for a cheaper laptop. Notebooks are very expensive right now, and the budget category has all but evaporated. For real deals, you often have to go several generations back on at least the CPU. This should widen the number of people considering Alienware in this market, and people who buy the entry-level system this time around may consider an Aurora or an Area-51 in a few years, alongside any of the mice, headsets, or keyboards that Alienware also makes.

The price is questionable. It's unclear what promotions may come and drop the price down the line — perhaps holiday or back to school sales. If a less premium brand dropped a laptop like this at this price, it might actually seem downright reasonable, given the current state of components. In fact, if some of Alienware's rivals, or even Dell itself under the G-series brand, had dropped this exact laptop two years ago and this was now the going price, I think some people would think it was more agreeable. But Alienware launching a less premium notebook with old parts now might make it seem expensive for what you get, or at least feel off-brand. And some of those higher tiers are still pricey, with an Intel system with an RTX 5060 passing $2,000.

It does risk making Alienware look a bit less premium. I'm very curious to see the mainstream reception to this notebook. Dell ended its G-Series gaming laptops, which were cheaper and technically not affiliated with Alienware, when the company rebranded its laptops in 2025. But hey, at least something is coming out aimed at the masses.

Chipmakers are taking to social media to confirm their partnerships with Google on its newly announced Googlebook laptop lineup.

In a post shared on X, Intel said it is collaborating on the lineup. Meanwhile, over on Instagram, Qualcomm made its own confirmation. Both used similar wording, saying that the laptops will be "powerful" and "premium" "devices designed for Intelligence." (Qualcomm used "built" instead of designed."

The announcements came shortly after Google gave a preview of its upcoming platform at the Android Show: I/O Edition, and confirmed that it is working with various PC manufacturers, including HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo.

During the showcase, Google refrained from discussing the core hardware and instead focused entirely on its brand-new operating system, which combines elements of Android and ChromeOS with deep Gemini Intelligence integration. It was initially assumed that the new Googlebook lineup would be based on Arm SoCs, since many aspects of the platform resemble an Android smartphone or tablet experience. However, with Intel now officially involved, there is a possibility that Google’s new AI-focused OS could also support x86 hardware, unless Intel has an Arm-based chip up its sleeve.

In an exclusive interview with Chrome Unboxed, Google VP John Maletis further confirmed Intel’s involvement in the Googlebook project, revealing that the upcoming notebooks will ship with processors from Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. According to Maletis, the Googlebook is an entirely new category of premium AI-first laptops that deeply integrate Gemini into the core experience rather than treating AI as an add-on. He also noted that Google is establishing strict hardware standards across memory, storage, keyboards, and overall build quality to ensure every Googlebook delivers a consistent premium experience.

The interview also shed more light on what users can expect when Googlebook devices officially launch later this fall. According to Maletis, the first wave of laptops will focus heavily on premium hardware from its partners, while also bringing back the iconic Glow Bar LED lighting seen on older Chromebook Pixel devices. He additionally confirmed that Googlebook laptops will run native Android applications without emulation, promising significantly better app performance alongside tighter Android smartphone integration and Gemini-powered features such as the new Magic Pointer interface.

Interestingly, the Googlebook partnership comes just a month after Intel and Google announced a separate multi-year agreement focused on next-generation AI cloud infrastructure. Under the deal, Google Cloud will deploy Intel Xeon processors alongside custom IPUs for large-scale AI workloads, suggesting that the relationship between the two companies now extends from cloud AI infrastructure all the way down to consumer AI-focused devices.

Updated May 13, 3:18 PM ET with further confirmation from Qualcomm on its partnership with Google

Google has been teasing a new "Android Show: I/O Edition" for the past week, where we expect to see Android 17 revealed with a design overhaul. But now, new info has surfaced that suggests the event will perhaps focus on a different avenue: laptops. The company's new laptop platform, meant to succeed Chromebooks, powered by Android and filled to the brim with Gemini, has just leaked — and it's called "Googlebook."

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, but was leaked ahead of time by an XDA article was seemingly posted. Images shared online reveal the features of this new platform.

First of all, it's based on Android, which finally bridges the gap between the mainstream Android OS that runs on phones and the stripped-down ChromeOS that has always bottlenecked Chromebooks (more on this later). This allows for deeper integration with your Android devices, with the slides showing the ability to access your phone's internal storage right from the Googlebook.

There are a bunch of AI features, all powered by Gemini, such as custom widgets and more seamless generative AI. You can simply ask Gemini to make you a widget specifically according to your needs, and it will pull data from your connected Google apps to build one; the example shown in the slide combines calendar events, hotel reservations, and an airplane ticket (along with a cover photo) into one.

Then there's the "Magic Pointer," which is essentially like a smart mouse pointer that's context-aware and understands what it's hovering over. Using Gemini, you can ask it to blend two images together just by putting your cursor on top. We also see the ability to cast apps highlighted in the leaked image, but more importantly, there's something called the "Glowbar" mentioned right above the Googlebook name.

This is likely a hardware implementation of the glow animation that Gemini (and Google Assistant before it) already has on phones. It looks like an LED strip embedded at the bottom of the top lid, similar to the navigation bar that sits on Android. This Glowbar will probably react to your commands when you're interacting with Gemini, playing different animations based on what it's doing.

Lastly, there's the fact that Google itself is not manufacturing the hardware — it's once again outsourcing that to actual PC vendors such as Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and more. This means that perhaps the operating system these "Googlebooks" run is branded differently from the hardware itself. Maybe we're looking at Aluminum OS after all: the company's internal efforts to unify Android and ChromeOS into a single platform. It sure does look like this is it.

Now, Google has a history of replacing its products with namesake rebrands, such as when Android TV became Google TV in 2020, or how Android Pay turned to Google Pay in 2018. So, the Googlebook name, as gaudy as it sounds, doesn't come as a surprise. Now, we only have to wait and see whether these new laptops are actually priced fairly in an AI boom-driven world where the MacBook Neo exists.

Gaming laptops can be pricey, and in the past few years, they have only gotten more expensive. The components inside laptops have gotten more expensive, the market below $1,000 has effectively been decimated, and finding a good deal is harder than ever. But we're still testing, and while the goal posts of what defines a budget gaming laptop may be a bit more expensive than they used to be, there are still ways to save.

At Tom's Hardware, we test many gaming laptops every year at a range of prices with different features and parts, so we know what to expect at every price point, no matter what your budget. While even the budget gaming laptops may not be cheap, we can still point out where you get the most for your money. We thoroughly benchmark all of the best budget gaming laptops in numerous games, extensively measuring gaming performance under a wide range of graphical conditions to suss out the best cheap laptops on the market.

Most gaming laptops under $1,500 will use Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 graphics cards. Many of them will use the latest Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen mobile processors, though sometimes you'll still find last-gen options. Above $1,500 (which, unfortunately, is still on the low end with all-new components these days), you should have the latest. That being said, don't cut corners so far that you settle for 8GB of RAM or just 256GB of storage. Those are outdated specs for gaming laptops.

With a budget gaming laptop, you'll be able to play most games — even graphically intensive ones — on medium or high settings, if not better. If you're playing lighter games, like esports, you should still be able to achieve high frame rates.

Best Budget Gaming Laptops You Can Buy

Best budget gaming laptop overall

The Acer Nitro V 16S AI is, as of this writing, typically selling around $1,500. This laptop is great for those who are willing to trade off some gaming performance for a bright and colorful screen and a ton of ports, including a microSD card slot.

Those ports, paired with a speedy storage drive in our tests, make the Nivro V 16S AI a solid productivity machine alongside one that can play most games. Acer is using an RTX 5060 with an 85W graphics card, so it's not the most performant system out there, but it's well-balanced if you're going to use just one laptop for gaming, work, or school.

The 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS screen goes up to 180 Hz, allowing for smooth gameplay for esports and indie games. Our system came with a 1TB storage drive, which should hold a few games, and there's room to add another inside. It also came with 32GB of RAM, which should be a bit future-proof.

There is a bunch of bloatware that you'll probably want to uninstall, and the webcam is just 720p.

Read: Acer Nitro V 16S AI review

Best budget gaming laptop for work and play

We had previously seen this laptop as high as $1,800, but lately it's been on sale closer to $1,500. The machine is another good mix of productivity and gaming. Like many other budget systems, it's using an 85W GPU (in this case, an RTX 5070), which means you won't get the most powerful gaming performance.What it does allow for, however, is strong battery life, lasting 9 hours and 13 minutes on our test. We also found the keyboard and touchpad to be quite comfortable.

The Ryzen AI 7 350 is a recent chip, and one that offers strong productivity performance, should you be using this system for work other than just gaming.It would have been nice to see Wi-Fi 7 at this system's full price, though on sale, Wi-Fi 6E is more forgivable. That being said, the display and audio are both middling, so this may be best if you use a monitor or speakers to bump up your experience.

Read: Gigabyte Aero X16 review

Best for battery life

If you want something a bit more minimalist, the Alienware 16 Aurora, the gaming brand's stripped-down machine, may work for you. This one has been consistently available.

The Aurora has an attractive chassis that mixes its plastic body with an alumium lid. The indigo color seems almost black, but has a navy shimmer in the right light.

The biggest benefits we saw were in the 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS display, which goes up to 120 Hz. That screen was brighter and far more vivid (112% of sRGB color volume, 312.2 nits) in our measurements compared to other budget machines.

We also appreciated the Aurora's 96 WHr battery, which helped the system last for 9 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test.

The 80W RTX 5060 is fairly low-power, which might help with the longevity, but means you'l have to set your expectations while gaming. Additionally, the storage could be faster, though you could consider swapping that out down the line.

Read: Alienware 16 Aurora review

Quick Shopping Tips

What to Expect From the Best Budget Laptops for Gaming

Star Labs Systems, a UK-based Linux hardware startup, has finally launched the StarFighter laptop — a high-performance laptop built with premium materials and designed primarily to run a Linux operating system. This laptop starts at $1,878, with a 16-inch 165Hz QHD matte display paired with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and 32GB of LPDDR5x memory. The laptops are also available with higher specifications — either an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H with a 4K 120Hz matte display and 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM for $2,843 or an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS with the same display and memory configuration.

Unfortunately, the StarFighter uses soldered RAM, so users cannot upgrade it down the road, but you can upgrade its storage if you need more space down the road.

This device had to go through a grueling journey, having been first announced on the r/linuxhardware subreddit in November 2022 with either an Intel 12th-gen or Ryzen 6000 series processor and an estimated delivery timeline of three to four months. The next update arrived in February 2023, when the lead time was extended by another four to five months, with some community members commenting on their doubts about Star Labs’ ability to deliver. It seemed that the startup is based out of a barn in rural England, some 30 miles southeast of London, run by “a bunch of geeks” who were complaining about running Linux on laptops that weren’t designed for it.

The commenters’ concerns were valid, especially as the timeline for the StarFighter laptop kept on extending. Star Labs Systems’ production updates only went back as far as July 2025, when they apologized for the delays on the January 2025 pre-orders. They expected to deliver the StarFighter some three to five months from that date, but had issues with the production facility they initially contracted to build the laptop.

After going back to their original supplier, everything went back on track with multiple updates every month regarding the progress of the device. The first batch of StarFighters finally arrived in January 2026, some six months late for those who pre-ordered early last year. As the company has fulfilled the early orders, it seems that it’s launching the laptop for sale to the general public.

The StarFighter Linux laptop will compete against other Linux-focused designs from Framework, Tuxedo Computers, and Slimbook. And while they might be a small company operating way outside of the city, the industry is in sore need of more laptops built around Linux, especially as gaming and Steam is pushing more users into this family of open-source operating systems.

Dell’s sweeping rebrand went a step too far when it dissolved the XPS line into its generic Premium series. But consumers spoke up, and Dell listened – XPS is back. We’ve already reviewed the XPS 14, and now the flagship XPS 16 steps into the spotlight — and the competition to be one of the best laptops. Starting at $1,749 and tested at $2,349, it’s nowhere near budget territory, but it never pretends to be. From its refined metal chassis to its dazzling tandem OLED display, this machine broadcasts its premium underpinnings at every turn.

Design of the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

At 13.88 x 9.35 x 0.58 inches, the redesigned XPS is noticeably sleeker than the outgoing 16 Premium (14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 inches) and, at 3.65 pounds, a full pound lighter. One reason Dell was able to manage this was by eliminating a discrete GPU option – the new XPS 16 comes only with integrated Intel fare.

Its footprint is marginally smaller albeit slightly heavier than Acer’s Aspire 16 AI (13.99 x 9.66 x 0.59 inches, 3.42 pounds), though it remains understandably larger than Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air (11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, 2.7 pounds). (See our review of the 13-inch MacBook Air.)

Build quality is where Dell makes its statement. The aluminum chassis and Gorilla glass palm rest feel premium, and the OLED-equipped model has a glass screen as well. The display hinge doesn’t fold flat, stopping about 45 degrees past vertical, but it feels sturdy and supports one-handed opening. Overall, the XPS’ spotless build quality, precise edges, and nearly borderless display all impart that this is a premium-tier laptop.

The design focus unfortunately takes away from the XPS’ practicality by limiting port selection to just three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and a headphone jack, following Apple's lead on the Mac. Acer’s Swift 16 AI and Asus’ Zenbook A16 deliver a more practical mix, including USB-A. If you rely on wired peripherals and haven’t fully transitioned to USB-C, this design choice will force you to use some dongles. Internally, the laptop offers the expected Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.

Dell XPS 16 (2026) Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Our XPS 16 review unit is built around a Core Ultra X7 358H processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X-9600 memory, Arc B390 integrated graphics, and a 1TB SSD.

For benchmark comparison, we included the Acer Swift 16 AI (Core Ultra X7 358H, $1,799), Apple’s MacBook Air (13-inch, 10-core M5; $1,299), and Asus’ Zenbook A16 (Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, $1,699). We also included a pair of Dell XPS 14 laptops, one featuring a Core Ultra 7 355 ($1,699) and the other a Core Ultra X7 358H ($2,199). Acer is the main competitor, featuring identical components, while Apple and Asus rely on ARM-based processors. The XPS 14 duo is here to show how the Ultra 7 355 (also available in the XPS 16) performs and if there’s any performance advantage to the larger XPS 16 with the Core Ultra X7.

In Geekbench 6, the XPS 16 scored 2,839 points in single-core, matching the rest of the x86 field – that is, all but the Apple (4,168) and Asus (3,807), which dominated. The XPS 16 proved more competitive in multi-core, scoring 16,975 to practically tie its XPS 14 sibling with the same CPU (16,927) and outperforming the Acer (15,926), though it was slightly behind Apple (17,067) and couldn’t touch Asus (22,733). Meanwhile, the Core Ultra 7-equipped XPS 14 trailed far behind (7,964).

In our 25GB file transfer test, the XPS 16 averaged 1,782 MBps, marginally ahead of the Acer, Asus, and Core Ultra 7-equipped XPS 14, though ahead of the Core Ultra X7-equipped XPS 14 (1,420 MBps). Apple took the leading spot, with 1,925 MBps.

Finally, the XPS 16 finished our 4K-to-1080p Handbrake video transcoding test in 4 minutes and 1 second, the leading time after the overachieving Asus (2:08). The Acer was just behind (4:25) while the Core Ultra 7-equipped XPS 14 trailed (6:45).

Overall, the XPS 16’s Core Ultra X7 358H is a strong choice for demanding productivity and creative workflows. Despite being housed in a larger chassis, it showed nearly identical performance relative to the smaller XPS 14 equipped with the same CPU. It did, however, outperform the Aspire 16 AI also equipped with the same CPU, suggesting Dell’s thermal management is superior. Against the ARM-based Apple and Asus, however, the XPS 16 didn’t fare quite as well, especially against the Asus’ Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme.

Those that don’t need as much CPU performance can get the XPS 16 equipped with the Core Ultra 7 355, but as shown in the XPS 14 equipped with that chip, it’s a steep step down. That CPU also loses out on the stronger Arc B390 integrated GPU.

To stress test productivity laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2024. The XPS 16 started at 895 points before dipping to 800 points for the second loop, then stabilizing between 933 and 961 points for the remaining loops, suggesting relatively stable thermal performance. During the test, the Core Ultra X7 358H’s P-cores averaged 3.09 GHz, the E-cores 2.64 GHz, and the LPE-cores 2.4 GHz.

Display on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Dell equipped our review model with the top-tier OLED touch display, which uses tandem light-emitting layers for superior brightness. Its 3200 x 2000 resolution falls short of 4K, but it still looks razor-sharp in practice. Individual pixels are invisible to the eye, and there’s ample working space for spreadsheeting and content creation, such as Photoshop.

The OLED panel makes Star Wars: The Mandalorian look spectacular. Starfields look crisp against inky black backgrounds, with no haloing or light bleed, and the outstanding color coverage adds depth and richness to any scene. The 120 Hz refresh rate also benefits fast action and scrolling, which looks much smoother than on a typical 60 Hz display.

This OLED panel is a $150 upgrade from the standard 1920 x 1200 IPS panel, which boasts a variable 1-120 Hz refresh rate to maximize battery life. That 1 Hz panel doesn’t support touch or feature a glass surface.

The XPS 16 offers full sRGB and DCI-P3 color coverage, matching the Acer Swift 16 AI and besting the MacBook Air, which achieved only 83% DCI-P3. For context, the XPS 14’s IPS panel only covered 71% DCI-P3, so expect a similar loss of color if the XPS 16 is optioned with IPS.

On brightness, the XPS 16’s 364-nit peak isn’t impressive, but OLED panels don’t require as many nits to appear as luminant as an IPS panel (which adorn the MacBook Air, Zenbook A16, and the Core Ultra 7 355-equipped XPS 14).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Dell has pushed the design envelopes with its premium-tier keyboards, and sometimes with disastrous results. Last year’s Dell 16 Premium left out a physical function row in favor of a touch strip, which proved counterintuitive since you couldn’t tell what you were pressing without looking down.

Dell reversed course with the new XPS, restoring the physical Function row to its rightful place. Tactile feel has also improved, with switches that produce a more direct, less plastic-like feel and a pleasant tactile sound. The zero-lattice layout with no spacing between the keys remains an aesthetic choice and has a slight learning curve. I was occasionally hitting two keys at once, but my fingers quickly learned to respect the subtle boundaries between keys. After about an hour of using the keyboard, I was hitting my usual typing speed in MonkeyType, about 112 words per minute with 99% accuracy.

The XPS 16 also gets practicality points for its dark keyboard and white backlighting, which contrast nicely, something that wasn’t true of the white keyboard on the 16 Premium. (There is currently no light color on the XPS 16.)

That said, the layout hasn’t quite been perfected. While dedicated Home, End, and Delete keys now exist along the top row, the mismatched sizes of the arrow keys make them difficult to use by feel.

This XPS redesign also restored the border around the massive touchpad. The line is subtle but tactile and provides confidence that you’re clicking in the right spot. The Gorilla Glass touchpad feels rock solid and provides responsive haptic feedback, which can be adjusted in Windows’ Settings app.

Audio on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

The XPS 16’s speakers make a respectable entertainment platform. Loud and clear despite being recessed in the chassis, they deliver full-bodied sound that projects well if the laptop is sitting on a solid surface. Bass is also above average for a laptop – watching Star Wars: The Mandalorian, I could feel the footsteps of an imperial walker and the impact of grenades and blaster bolts.

Oddly, Dell doesn’t preinstall the Dolby Access app, which provides access to Atmos equalizers to further tighten the bass and improve clarity and projection. I found the app in the Windows Store and installed it without a problem.

Upgradeability of the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Upgrading the XPS 16 is quite different from other laptops. You start by removing the four Torx screws on the underside. The bottom panel doesn’t just come off – instead, you’ll need a thin plastic tool to press upward through the rear screw holes, which pops off the top of the chassis. Lacking specialized tools for that, I used a plastic toothpick and moderate force, which worked fine – I was able to then work my way along the edges of the chassis to pop the remaining clips.

With the top half of the chassis removed, you’ll have access to the 70 Wh battery and single M.2 drive slot. Nothing else can be upgraded, with soldered memory and wireless cards across all XPS 16 configurations.

Battery Life on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Our battery test consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi.

For a 16-inch OLED-screened laptop, the XPS 16 lasted an impressive 13 hours and 3 minutes in our battery rundown. That’s almost an hour longer than the Acer (12:12) and comfortably ahead of the Asus (10:26). The MacBook Air lasted considerably longer (15:28), though it’s important to note that we tested the 13-inch model. If the runtime of the IPS-screened XPS 14 is any indication (20:41), buyers prioritizing battery life might consider the IPS panel on the XPS 16 with a refresh late as low as 1 Hz – what it lacks in color, it should make up for in endurance, though you'd also have a lower resolution stretched across a larger screen.

Heat on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

We measure peak surface temperatures while running 10 loops of Cinebench 2024 multi-core. During the test, temperatures on the XPS 16 reached 93 degrees F between the keyboard’s G and H keys, 76 F on the touchpad, and 105 F on the underside towards the rear edge. Internally, the Core Ultra X7 358H averaged 77 degrees Celsius across all cores.

Webcam on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Dell’s 1440p webcam sets it apart, boasting a sharp, well-exposed picture with ample color and minimal noise. It’s a clear step up from the 1080p fare found in most laptops. It misses a dedicated privacy shutter, but it does include an IR sensor for facial recognition.

Software and Warranty on the Dell XPS 16 (2026)

Dell includes two major apps on the XPS 16, the first of which is Dell Optimizer. It provides power profiles – Optimized (the default), Cool, Quiet, and Ultra Performance – and a battery charge mode that decides how quickly to charge the battery based on your usage. (How it determines this isn’t explained.) It also has a battery extender feature which, among other things, lowers the screen brightness on the fly to improve efficiency. (Users who want consistency may want to disable this feature, as we did for our battery testing.) The app also includes Dolby Vision display modes – bright, dark, or vivid.

The other included app, SupportAssist, provides core services including support access, diagnostics, and system updates. It also features a tutorial to help you set up your new PC and migrate your settings from another PC.

Dell covers the XPS 16 with a one-year Dell Care Plus warranty, with 1-2 business day onsite repairs after remote diagnosis.

Dell XPS 16 (2026) Configurations

Our XPS 16 review unit is a flagship model, featuring a 3200 x 2000 OLED touch display, Core Ultra X7 358H processor, 32GB of memory, 1TB SSD, and Windows 11 Home. It retails for $2,349.99 from Dell.

Baseline configurations start at $1,749.99 with a 1920 x 1200 IPS non-touch display, Core Ultra 5 325 or Core Ultra 7 355 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Stepping up to the X-series CPUs automatically upgrades to 32GB of RAM (with 64GB as an option) and the more powerful Arc B390 integrated graphics. The top CPU is the Core Ultra X9 388H. Storage, which scales to 4TB, and the display can be chosen independently of the CPU.

Dell’s pricing places the XPS in the luxury market. Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, though with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, it reaches $1,899. Acer’s Swift 16 AI is $1,799.99 and Asus’ Zenbook A16 $1,699, though they aren’t quite as premium as the XPS’ build quality. On the other hand, the XPS 16 is less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, which is $2,799 with only 512GB of storage. Unlike the XPS, the Samsung can be configured with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU, but it commands an eye-watering $3,699 in that guise.

Bottom Line

Dell was wise to bring back the XPS line, and the XPS 16 shows why. Its beautifully engineered chassis, superb OLED display, and strong performance are reminders of why this brand has earned its reputation over the years. Strong battery life, a crisp webcam, and good speakers round out the premium experience.

The compromises are few but meaningful. Relying solely on USB-C may streamline the design, but it limits practicality when many competitors offer a more versatile mix. And with OLED configurations surpassing $2,000, you won’t save any money buying this laptop.

Still, if you can live with the limited ports and premium price, the XPS 16 rewards with one of the most refined Windows laptop experiences you can buy.

Update, June 10, 2026: The display chart in this review has been updated to reflect more accurate numbers. The text remains the same.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is back to fight for its space on our list of the best laptops.. It’s been roughly a year and a half since we last tested a Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, and a lot has happened during that time. For starters, our particular review unit features a 14-inch POLED panel instead of a 15.3-inch screen, and it features Intel’s new Core Ultra 3 Series “Panther Lake” processors.

Intel’s Aura Edition initiative is aimed at fielding laptops that are thin, lightweight, and deliver superior battery life. The Slim 7i impresses on all three fronts, while delivering a crisp display and premium build quality.

Design of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The Yoga Slim 7i made a lasting impression before I even laid eyes on it. The shipping box that contained the review unit was incredibly light; so light, in fact, that I thought maybe the laptop had gone “missing” on its way to my house. However, once I pulled the Slim 7i out of the box, I was taken aback by its featherweight design, weighing just 2.15 pounds. For comparison, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air weighs slightly more at 2.7 pounds.

Part of the reason for the extremely lightweight design is the use of a magnesium alloy in the chassis (which Lenovo says is designed and tested to MIL-SSTD-810H standards), finished in “Seashell,” which is basically off-white. In addition, the laptop is only 0.55 inches thick, which further contributes to the feeling of litheness.

The centerpiece of the Yoga Slim 7i is a 14-inch, 2880 x 1800 POLED touch display with a glossy finish. To protect the precious POLED panel, Lenovo covers it in Gorilla Glass 3.

Unlike the most recent Yoga Slim 7i we tested, the 2026 model drops the HDMI 2.1 port and adds another Thunderbolt 4 in its place. As a result, the Yoga Slim 7i now has three Thunderbolt 4 ports: two on the left side and one on the right. All three ports support up to 65-watt USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort 2.1. Interestingly, the HDMI port isn’t the only casualty with this redesign; the 3.5 mm headphone jack is also missing. It’s a curious omission for the Yoga Slim 7i, and one that will likely garner some backlash from the Yoga faithful. The USB-A port has also been abandoned, which means those reliant on compliant accessories will need to live the “dongle life” that Mac and Dell XPS users have grown accustomed to.

The only other items of note around the chassis are a dedicated power button on the right side (I fumbled around the keyboard deck for the power button for a few seconds at first) and an E-shutter switch for the 5-megapixel webcam.

The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026) measures 12.31 x 8.42 x 0.55 inches and weighs 2.15 pounds. The Dell XPS 14 measures 12.19 x 8.26 x 0.58 inches and weighs 3 pounds, while the HP OmniBook X Flip 14 measures 12.32 x 8.60 x 0.58 inches and weighs 3.11 pounds. Finally, the 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) measures 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches and weighs 2.7 pounds.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026) Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026) is powered by Intel's Core Ultra 7 355 processor. The chip features 8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency), a base frequency of 2.3 GHz (performance cores), and a Max Turbo Boost frequency of 4.7 GHz (performance cores). Lenovo pairs the processor with 32GB of dual-channel LPDDR5x-7467 memory and a 1TB M.2 2242 PCIe 4.0 SSD.

In the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the Yoga Slim 7i with its Core Ultra 7 355 processor achieved a single-core score of 2,729 and a multi-core score of 11,555. This result compares quite favorably to Dell XPS 14, which uses the same CPU: it mustered 2,685 on the single-core benchmark and just 7,964 on the multi-core benchmark. Among the Intel-based competition, the Omnibook X Flip 14 (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350) upped the ante with single- and multi-core scores of 2,889 and 13,106, respectively. However, Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) ran away from the competition, delivering a blistering 4,168 in single-core and 17,067 in multi-core.

The Windows machines were evenly matched on our 25GB file transfer test, with both the Yoga Slim 7i and the OmniBook X Flip 14 getting pretty close to the 1,700 MBps mark. The XPS 14 crossed that line, achieving 1,730.36 MBps. The MacBook Air was faster still, recording 1,924.84 MBps with its 1TB SSD.

Our Handbrake test transcodes a 4K video to 1080p, and here the Yoga Slim 7i completed the task in 5 minutes and 56 seconds, the slowest in the group. Interestingly, the XPS 14, which uses the same processor, was the fastest of all four systems, finishing in just 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

We ran Cinebench 2026 for 10 loops to stress-test the Yoga Slim 7i. The system started in the 2,465 to 2,485 range, before settling in the upper 2,500’s for the remainder of the runs. The internal fans were audible during the stress test to keep the system cool.

The four P-cores on the Core Ultra 355 ran at an average of 3.87 GHz, while the four E-cores clocked in at 3.49 GHz during the Cinebench 2026 stress test.

Graphics on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The Yoga Slim 7i features integrated Intel Graphics, with 4 Xe cores operating at a maximum dynamic frequency of 2.5 GHz. During the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Yoga Slim 7i scored just 513, putting it slightly behind the XPS 14.

The MacBook Air was the overachiever in this group, nearly doubling the Yoga Slim 7i’s score at 1,005.

Display on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

Lenovo ships the Yoga Slim 7i with a vibrant 14-inch POLED display panel, covered in Gorilla Glass 3 with a glossy finish (like most OLED panels). The display has a WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz.

Since we’re looking at an OLED panel here, it should come as no surprise that the colors were lush, while blacks were as deep as you could imagine for a laptop. OLEDs aren’t often known for going over the top with panel brightness, but the Yoga Slim 7i more than held its own, delivering 476 nits, the highest among the assembled laptops (the MacBook Air was in second at 458.8 nits).

That strong showing filtered over to the color gamut coverage, where the Yoga Slim 7i reached 120.6 percent of DCI-P3 and 170.3 percent of sRGB. But figures were second only to the OmniBook X Flip 14.

I used the Yoga Slim 7i’s display to watch the first trailer for Coyote vs. ACME, which deftly combines computer-generated cartoon graphics with real-world settings and human characters. From the light and dark blues of the Roadrunner’s feathers to the red and orange explosions through (this trailer does, after all, feature the silly antics of Wile E. Coyote), the POLED panel handled the presentation with aplomb.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

I found the keyboard on the Yoga Slim 7i comfortable to type on, though the key surface felt a bit smoother and slipperier than what I’m used to. I wouldn’t say that it distracted from my typing experience; it just felt different. The one thing that I would be concerned about, however, is the white finish on the keys. I can only imagine how grimy the keys will look after a few months of constant use once the oils from your fingers permeate through the surface.

My only other comment about the keyboard would be that I’m not a fan of the half-height up/down arrows, which are flanked by full-size left and right arrows. I’d prefer all of the directional keys to be full-size, even if it came at the expense of a narrower right Shift key.

Using my go-to keyhero.com typing benchmark, I hit 89 words per minute with 96 percent accuracy, which is about average for me (I’m no fast-typing dynamo).

The keyboard deck and the touchpad, which I found highly responsive, are also covered in the same off-white color. The touchpad measures 4.72 x 2.95 inches and is buttonless; it uses a haptic mechanism for registering clicks (similar to MacBooks). I found that my fingers glided easily over the surface, and responsiveness was “just right” without requiring additional tweaks in Windows 11.

Audio on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The Yoga Slim 7i features a four-speaker sound system comprising two 2-watt woofers and two 2-watt tweeters. The speaker grills flank the keyboard, and are precision-machined into the deck.

Sound quality was surprisingly good and vibrant for such a thin machine. Even more shocking was the amount of bass that the speakers were able to produce without seeming overpowering. I was bopping to the classic, “What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Brothers, and could feel every bass line and drum hit with clarity. Michael McDonald’s soulful voice shined through, proving this classic is just as impactful nearly 50 years later.

To my delight, as “What a Fool Believes” finished playing, my YouTube Music playlist kicked over to “Fantasy” by Earth, Wind, and Fire, and I was again blown away by this ultraportable system. The rhythm guitars, bass, and staccato horns — it all came together beautifully. You can use the Dolby Settings app to select Dynamic, Game, Movie, and Music profiles to suit your audio tastes.

Upgradeability on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The bottom panel of the Yoga Slim 7i is affixed with two eight screws and friction clips. With a well-placed finger between the panel and the gap in the display hinge, it popped off.

Unfortunately, the LPDDR5x memory is soldered on, so there’s no way to upgrade it. And while the 2242 M.2 SSD is technically replaceable, it is hidden behind the heatpipe system that also covers the CPU and memory. If you want to replace the SSD, do so with caution.

Battery Life on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

The Yoga Slim 7i proved to be a winner in our battery life test. The system lasted a healthy 16 hours and 38 minutes during the test, which encompasses web browsing, video streaming, and WebGL tests with the display set at 150 nits of brightness.

Interestingly, the Yoga Slim 7i’s result was over an hour longer than the perennial endurance champ: the MacBook Air.

Heat on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

We measured the surface and internal temperatures of the Yoga Slim 7i while running the Cinebench 2026 stress test. Surface temperatures were measured with a laser thermometer, while the process temperature was measured using internal sensors.

The Core Ultra 7 355 processor measured 83.4 degrees Celsius. The keyboard registered 91 C, and the touchpad came in at 76.9 C. The bottom measured 94.2 C at its hottest point, while the hottest overall temperature (106 C) was at the top of the keyboard deck near the display hinge, where hot air exhausts.

Webcam on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

Lenovo includes a 5-megapixel webcam on the Yoga Slim 7i, which is mounted above the display. A tiny hump is integrated into the display lid to accommodate the camera hardware (which includes an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial recognition).

I had no issues with the webcam’s performance, as color reproduction, sharpness, and clarity were on point. There were also no issues handling my overabundance of LED-based track lighting in my home office. Skin tones were also quite accurate, which is often an issue with my darker skin tone.

The Yoga Slim 7i includes an E-shutter switch mounted on the right side of the chassis. This can be used to electronically enable or disable the camera.

Software and Warranty on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026)

Our Yoga Slim 7i is an “Aura Edition,” meaning it has several smart features designed to make your life easier. The laptop includes Smart Modes (Working, Gaming, Creating, Entertainment, Meeting, Learning) that can be accessed within the Lenovo Vantage application. Based on the mode you select, the system can automatically configure settings (e.g., attention times, noise cancellation, or VPN access).

The laptop includes Smart Modes (Working, Gaming, Creating, Entertainment, Meeting, Learning) that can be accessed within the Lenovo Vantage application. Based on the mode you select, the system can automatically configure settings (e.g., attention times, noise cancellation, or VPN access).

Aura Smart Care provides real-time access to Lenovo technicians for troubleshooting, while Aura Smart Share lets you easily share media between a PC and a smartphone (including iPhones).

You’ll also find the usual assortment of Lenovo-branded apps, including Vantage, which gives you control over power settings, Smart Modes, and other customization options. Vantage is also where you’ll find controls for presence detection, which I had to disable because it would put the system to sleep if I walked away for more than 30 seconds.

But there's also some bloat: McAfee Security is installed by default, along with Adobe subscription apps, and a 90-day trial to the Dropbox 100GB plan.

The Yoga Slim 7i comes with a one-year warranty.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2026) Configurations

Our Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 2880 x 1800 POLED display, and it retails for $1,629.99.

You can customize the system if you wish: an upgrade to Windows Home Pro costs $50, while going from a 1TB SSD to a 2TB SSD will set you back $190.

Bottom Line

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is a standout machine, made even more impressive by its ultra-thin chassis that barely weighs over 2 pounds. Lenovo has also delivered on visuals with a gorgeous 14-inch 2.8K OLED touch display and a bangin’ quad-speaker audio system. If that wasn’t enough, the Yoga Slim 7i also delivered over 16 hours of runtime, even besting the mighty MacBook Air.

However, that thin and light frame means that compromises had to be made on performance. The Core Ultra 7 355 came up short in our synthetic CPU test and real-world encoding tests (where it landed in last place). And when the CPU was being worked, the system fans were quite audible. Lenovo has also taken away some legacy ports that many people have come to rely on, including HDMI, USB-A, and even the 3.5mm headphone jack.

With a price tag of just over $1,600, the Yoga Slim 7i is not a cheap ultraportable by any means. However, if you can look past the CPU shortfalls and fully embrace Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, you won’t be disappointed with its portability, display, or endurance.

Last year, Dell's gaming arm substantially updated the Alienware 16 Area-51 with a new design. This year, the laptop has a much more moderate adjustment: the addition of an OLED display, which fans of the pricey brand have been clamoring for for a few years, and that several of the best gaming laptops already have.

Without any major GPU launches, Alienware's other internal update is an upgrade to Intel's latest CPUs, which are a light refresh that didn't provide any massive upgrades to our performance in testing.

You still get plenty of ports, and the $50 mechanical keyboard is worth it – at least to my fingers. And while I can't imagine most people buy new gaming rigs on an annual basis; there's not a ton of change year-over-year.

Design of the Alienware 16 Area-51

The 2026 edition of the Alienware 16 Area-51 looks identical to last year's model, which was a total overhaul, with rounded corners and curved edges, along with a striking "liquid teal" color that stands out from other gaming laptops and looks like different colors under different light.

The lid features Alienware's alien head logo in a mirror finish, but you can't see that once it glows with RGB lighting when you turn the rig on. The lighting can also be found in a diffused ring around the ports on the back "shelf" where the ports live, as well as beneath the keyboard and around the intake fans.

The majority of the ports are at the back of the laptop, including three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a pair of Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI 2.1, and the connector for the 360-watt power adapter. The left boasts an SD card slot and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

I get why Alienware puts the ports in the back; it lets you plug in major accessories and forget about them, and allows for a clean desk. But if you want to plug in external drives or peripherals that don't always have a home on your desk, you'll have to reach around the back of this big notebook. I would have loved at least one USB port on the side, but Alienware has spent most of the real estate on the side of the laptop for exhaust in its four-fan system.

On the bottom of the laptop, there's a glass window exposing part of the motherboard and the cooler, and you can also catch some RGB lighting here. It's cool on first glance, I guess, but I'd rather have something less breakable than glass on the outside of my laptop. It would probably save some weight to switch the glass, too.

The 16-inch Area-51 measures 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches and weighs 7.49 pounds (before the 2.2-pound power adapter). I could just barely close my backpack around it, largely because of the thermal shelf at the back. And there are smaller flagship 16-inch gaming notebooks out there. The MSI Raider 16 Max HX is 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.14 inches and 5.73 pounds.

Alienware 16 Area-51 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Alienware 16 Area-51

The Alienware 16 Area-51, with its Intel Core Ultra 290HX Plus and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (16GB GDDR7, 175 W TGP, 1,500 MHz boost clock), proved to be a powerful performer across our benchmarks and in playtesting.

For instance, Resident Evil Requiem ran between 87 and 113 frames per second, as I explored the care center and engaged in a shootout to take down a blisterhead. That was at the system's native 1440p, with ray tracing on, hair strands improvements on, high graphics quality (with some at max), and without any upscaling or frame generation. It fell to 74 FPS in a darker area where I ultimately snuck behind and killed the villain known as the Chef.

We compared the Area-51 to last year's model, with a Core Ultra 9 275HX and an identical RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, to see how much the year-over-year CPU upgrade matters. We also compared it to a slightly more expensive system, the MSI Raider 16 Max HX, with an RTX 5090 and the same Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus as our review unit.

This year's Area-51 and last year's system were consistently in range. At 1920 x 1200, the newer model typically won out, with the exception of Far Cry 6. In a few games, like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redmption 2, last year's model did better at 2560 x 1600, even if it lost at lower resolutions. In general, though, the two systems were largely in spitting distance of each other.

Unsurprisingly, the MSI's RTX 5090 won out in most games.

But if you just bought a top-of-the-line gaming laptop last year, slight CPU upgrades aren't going to make or break your experience. You likely won't even be able to tell the difference.

During our Metro Exodus stress test, in which we run the game at RTX settings for 15 runs, approximating half an hour or game play, the performance cores on the CPU averaged 4.11 GHz, while the efficient cores hit 2.75 GHz. The GPU ran at an average of 1,950.46 MHz.

Productivity Performance on the Alienware 16 Area-51

The Alienware 16 Area-51 we tested is using an Intel Core i9-290HX Plus. This new chip is based on a refreshed version of Arrow Lake, and we didn't see any massive changes in our testing. Last year's Area-51 that we tested ran on an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, while the MSI Raider 16 Max HX we're comparing here is using the same 290HX Plus processor.

On Geekbench 6, the Area-51 with 290HX Plus earned a single-core score of 3,216 and a multi-core score of 20,754. Last year's Alienware with Core Ultra 9 delivered scores of 3,126 and 20,498, so nothing eye-bulging here. The Raider achieved similar scores as the current model, at 3,231/20,656.

The SK Hynix drive in this year's system proved speedy, copying 25GB of files at a speed of 2,738.90 MBps, easily beating the MSI Raider (1,357.93 MBps) and last year's Alienware.

On Handbrake, the Alienware 16 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 2 minutes, which is 2 seconds behind last year's model, and enough for me to say it could go either way. The Raider was faster, at 1:51.

Display on the Alienware 16 Area-51

The major difference between the 2026 version of the Area-51 and last year's is the display. It's still a 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz screen, but this year there is an option for an anti-glare OLED panel.

In the trailer for The Odyssey, the screen appeared bright, especially in early scenes with Odysseus and his men underneath clear blue skies. There were some very deep blacks, like when Odysseus enters the cyclops' cave, where green foliage and orange flames all popped. It's not the most vivid OLED screen I've ever seen, but it's still nice.

The OLED worked to strong effect in Resident Evil 9, with dark blacks making for increasingly haunting shadows. But it was just as good with buckets of crimson zombie blood.

I like the anti-glare. I assume this took some of the shimmer out of the screen, but considering I work next to a window at home, I was still able to see most of the screen without reflections, even if the colors weren't as good at an angle.

The OLED screen covers 93.7% of DCI-P3 color volume, compared to 132.2% sRGB, surpassing last year's non-OLED model and the screen on the MSI Raider. Those screens, however, were brighter than the Area-51's OLED screen, which measured 368.6 nits on our light meter. Last year's model came in at 515.8 nits.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Alienware 16 Area-51

Our review unit came with a low-profile Cherry MX mechanical keyboard. We've seen these on a few gaming laptops (mostly from Dell and MSI), and they always seem worth the upgrade. In this case, it's $50. Frankly, I think that on these high-end notebooks, Alienware should just make these mechanical keyboards the default.

It feels great to type on, and I hit 121 words per minute at 98% accuracy on monkeytype.com. That being said, the keys are clicky, loud, and even have a bit of ping to them. But if you wear headphones while you type, your fingers may be happy enough that your ears don't care.

The layout is a bit weird, with a row at the end of the keyboard for the volume and mute keys. It feels out of place, as I'm used to having those on the function keys. Instead, four macro keys take up those spaces. Additionally, there's a massive Copilot key on the right side. It's about a key and a half wide.

The touchpad measures 4.4 inches wide by 2.5 inches tall, bucking the trend of large touchpads finally making their way to gaming laptops. This one feels a bit cramped, but not difficult to use, especially as people playing games typically use a mouse.

Audio on the Alienware 16 Area-51

There are four speakers on the Area-51: two 2W tweeters and a pair of 2W woofers. They're fine, but nothing special.

Listening to Jade Bird's "I Get No Joy," the computer filled my apartment with sound. Bird's vocals were clear, as were the guitars and some synths. When drums played alone, like in the song's intro, they were clear, but they got lost in the mix with the rest of the instruments. Despite the bulky chassis, there's not much bass here, either.

The system came tuned with Dolby Atmos, but in the settings software, changing the equalizers didn't seem to do very much.

In Resident Evil 9, Grace's nervous breathing was loud (and constant — tamp down, Capcom), and infected zombie growls were clear. The sound was acceptable, if not earth-shattering.

Upgradeability of the Alienware 16 Area-51

To open up the Alienware 16 Area-51, you need to loosen the four screws on the bottom of the system closest to the palm rest. These are captive. Another four screws hold the rest of the cover on, and those come out completely.

The bottom cover has glass on it, which provides a window into the system. Dell's maintenance guides stress that you shouldn't scratch it with a sharp tool, like, say, a screwdriver.

Dell's guides suggest that you can use your fingertip to loosen the base cover, but just like last year, I needed a plastic spudging tool to get through the plastic clips holding it on.

Once you're inside, you have access to the battery, as well as the memory slots and three SSD slots. There's a code written in an alien language on the bottom of the case, but it's identical to last year.

Battery Life on the Alienware 16 Area-51

The 96 WHr battery in the Alienware 16 Area-51 can't power the laptop for too long. On our battery test, which includes browsing websites, streaming video, and running light OpenGL tests with the screen set to just 150 nits of brightness, the system ran for 3 hours and 33 minutes.

Last year's non-OLED model lasted for 4:10. The MSI Raider 16 Max HX ran for much longer, at 8:33. Both appear to have Nvidia's Advanced Optimus, so it's unclear why the Alienwares aren't running as long.

Heat on the Alienware 16 Area-51

We measured heat on the Area-51 while running our Metro Exodus gauntlet, running the benchmark for about half an hour.

The chassis gopt a bit toasty. The center of the keyboard climbed to 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can definitely feel, while the hottest spot on the bottom was 114.5 F. The touchpad stayed cool at 83.5 F. Be sure to use this on a desk.

Inside, the CPU measured an average of 82.8 degrees Celsius, while the GPU reached 62.11 C.

Webcam on the Alienware 16 Area-51

There's a 1080p webcam embedded in the Area-51's top bezel. It's OK, though perhaps not befitting of a laptop that costs over $4,000.

While it caught stitching my shirt and individual hairs in my beard, images taken from the cameras had some pixelation, which also occurred in video calls. On the bright side, the camera was color accurate.

Last year, I tested a version of this system with a 4K webcam that I enjoyed more, but Alienware isn't offering it this time around. A representative for the gaming brand said in an email that this would "help pricing without compromising in other areas that are more essential for premium gaming."

Software and Warranty on the Alienware 16 Area-51

Alienware has preinstalled some software. I've seen worse, but there's more than I like here. Alienware Command Center is the primary application on the machine, with control of AlienFX RGB Lighting, system performance adjustments, and a built-in game library.

Otherwise, the Alienware apps include one dedicated to downloading anything you bought at purchase, as well as Dell Support Assist for customer service.

There is bloat on here, including McAfee with a month-long trial.

Alienware sells the 16-inch Area-51 with a 1-year warranty. You can cover accidental damage and spill for a year for an extra $79, while Elite Care adds extended battery support and "top-tier gaming support experts" for $99.

Alienware 16 Area-51 Configurations

We tested the Alienware 16 Area-51 in a $4,309.99 configuration including a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD, and the new 16-inch OLED screen. It also features a CherryMX low-profile keyboard and Windows 11 Pro.

The base model is $1,949.99 with a Core Ultra 7 255HX, an RTX 5060 Laptop GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, a non-OLED screen, a membrane keyboard, and Windows 11.

Alienware's configurator has many options in between, including a Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, laptop GPUs up to an RTX 5090, RAM up to 64GB, and storage up to 12TB in RAID 0 (3 x 4TB). The most expensive configuration we could make came out to $8,009.99.

Bottom Line

The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a large, bulky gaming laptop designed to deliver a ton of gaming power on the go.

It's a heavy system, one that barefly fit in my backpack. Ideally, Alienware could find some way to slim this down, or at least drop a few pounds. But a slim, lighter laptop with the same components almost certainly wouldn’t be able to deliver the same level of performance.

On the bright side, Alienware finally brought OLED screen options, which should have always been available given the prices it's asking for its top-tier laptops. But this year's chip upgrades really don't povide better gaming performance year-over-year (not that most people are buying gaming laptops every single year.) It was unfortunate to see that the webcam was downgraded from 4K to 1080p; while that's arguably one of the parts people might care about least on a gaming rig, this system is over $4,000. It should have the best of the best.

If what you're looking for is a desktop replacement that's plenty powerful and portable enough, Alienware's 16-inch system delivers. But you may need a bigger backpack.

In a quest to build a thinner device, Lenovo has finally abandoned one longstanding feature that made the ThinkPad P series stand out from the competition — the use of a magnesium subframe, also dubbed the “roll cage,” to add strength and rigidity to the laptop model. Notebookcheck spotted the change, which marks the end of an era that began with the ThinkPad T60 in 2006, the company’s first ThinkPad model after taking over from IBM in 2005.

Magnesium alloy is widely used in premium laptop models because of its relative lightness and comparable rigidity, but it’s often used as a material for the external chassis. The ThinkPad P series was a different beast, though. Lenovo built this line of laptops as mobile workstations and ensured that it had the rigidity to face the physically most challenging of situations. While the magnesium roll cage added to the overall thickness of the device, it was something that Lenovo and its users were willing to compromise on in exchange for the reliability and durability that it offers.

“People will hold their machines in one corner of the keyboard, or the palm rest area, and that becomes a stress area,” Al Makley, Lenovo Executive Director of Workstation Development, told AEC Magazine. “So, we have to understand how is that area flexing, what is it in contact with on the motherboard, are you going to stress components? So, we look at the amount of flex in that area.” Lenovo Industrial Designed Sam Patterson also told AEC, “It does require some compromises on overall size – it adds a millimeter or two to the X, Y and Z dimensions, but it’s one of those things that’s not worth compromising on, because its value to the customer is so high. When you have a system that is this powerful, it becomes heavy quite fast, so managing the body and managing the strength of this chassis is difficult, so a roll cage is the logical thing to do.”

Aside from having the roll cage in the base of the laptop, its screen also features a magnesium subframe at the back of the display. “16 inches is a lot of panel, and you don’t want to get those videos on YouTube where someone’s bending it and going, ‘What is going on with this flex?’” adds Patterson.

Unfortunately, Lenovo’s latest P16 model, the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3, replaces the magnesium subframe with one that’s integrated directly in the frame. It’s unclear why Lenovo went ahead with this design change just to shave a few millimeters off the workstation’s dimensions. It could be that the company is trying to save on every ounce of expense as the memory chip shortage is taking a toll on computing.

After all, the P-series is already an expensive piece of kit, with the base model P16 Gen 3 starting at nearly $3,000 with just an Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, an Nvidia RTX Pro 1000 Blackwell laptop GPU, 16GB of DDR5-4400 RAM, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. The top-of-the-line trim features an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, with an Nvidia RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell laptop GPU, 128GB of DDR5-4000 RAM, and a 4TB PCIe 5.0 SSD. However, this costs an eye-watering $9,500 — something that’s just out of range for most common buyers.

All these specs might seem underpowered for the price, but companies are paying for the reliability that it delivers. But unless Lenovo developed a new manufacturing technique that allowed it to retain rigidity without the magnesium subframe, then this move to save a few dollars might actually be counterproductive to what its customers expect. If you find this to be too much for your needs, Lenovo also makes more reasonably priced devices with the latest Intel hardware, or you could pick a model from our list of the best laptops for productivity, portability, and battery life.

For the first time since launching the Framework Laptop 13 back in 2021, the company has redesigned the chassis and made major, fundamental improvements. That resulted in a new product, the Framework Laptop 13 Pro.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro, announced today at Framework's Next Gen event, has a CNC-aluminum chassis, the first-ever fully-custom display on a Framework Laptop (and the first touchscreen display on a 13-inch Framework), a haptic touchpad, and a larger 74 WHr battery.

On the Laptop 13 Pro, Framework is moving to Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, with configurations using Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra X7, and Core Ultra X9. Along with the bigger battery, Framework is touting those chips' efficiency as a way to increase time on a charge. (Existing AMD Ryzen AI 300 mainboards will also be offered.)

With the Core Ultra Series 3 comes a number of firsts for Framework, including it being the first Framework system with PCIe 5.0 support and Wi-Fi 7.

The battery is 22% larger than the previous 13-inch Framework Laptop. To fit the physically larger size of the battery, Framework has changed the bottom cover geometry, as well as thinned out part of the keyboard deck around the new haptic touchpad. The company says you'll still have 80% capacity after 1,000 cycles. The 13 Pro also comes with a 100W GaN charger rather than the typical 60W one, to enable fast charging on this bigger battery.

Additionally, Framework is using LPCAMM2 memory modules in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacity options, with speeds up to 7,467 MT/s. Framework CEO Nirav Patel told Tom's Hardware that the company expects to have plenty of the modules in its store, which is especially important as they aren't easy to buy right now from typical storefronts. The company says it will have higher capacity modules in the future.

A new chassis and new features

The body of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro is machined from 6000-series aluminum, which Framework says will make the system rigid. The outer dimensions are the same as the regular Framework Laptop 13, making it 15.86 mm thick. There's a new anodization color, graphite, though pieces will be available in silver for those who are upgrading an existing Framework Laptop 13. The other change to the chassis includes a simpler Expansion Card latch (much needed, in my opinion).

You can update a regular Framework Laptop 13 (going back to the original, 11th Gen Intel version) to a Laptop 13 Pro piece by piece, including the top-cover, bottom cover, and and haptic input cover. You could do that slowly over time, though if you decide you want to add the bigger 74 WHr battery to your current machine, you'll need the new bottom cover and haptic input cover due to changes in geometry to fit the new cell.

The new haptic touchpad is sourced from LiteOn, the same vendor that makes Framework's existing mechanical touchpads. The input cover also features the keyboard, with the same 1.5 mm key travel.

The 13.5-inch, 3:2 display is the first fully-custom screen that Framework has included in a laptop. It has a 2880 x 1920 resolution, a 30 - 120 Hz variable refresh rate, a claimed brightness up to 700 nits, and anti-glare. The touchscreen is the first on a 13-inch Framework Laptop, though it has shown up on the 12-inch version.Despite the new mainboard and displays sounding radically different, they are both backwards compatible with all of Framework's earlier Laptop 14's, so you can buy the parts separately and put them in your existing system. Instead of buying a new Framework Laptop 13 Pro, you could just update the most important parts of your existing Framework Laptop 13.

Lastly, there are new speakers on the system. On Windows, there's Dolby Atmos support, but that hasn't come to Linux yet.

Ubuntu out of the box

Until now, Framework has only included Windows on its PCs that are already assembled. With the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, you'll be able to get Ubuntu installed without having to build the PC in a DIY edition. You will, of course, be able to install different flavors of Linux — or Windows — if you wish.

Framework plans to ship the Laptop 13 Pro in June. DIY editions, which require their own memory, storage, and OS, will start at $1,199, while the pre-built configurations will start at $1,499. DIY editions maybe be complicated by the availability of LPCAMM2 which isn't terribly common, though Framework itself should carry it.

Other announcements

Beyond the Framework Laptop 13, the company is also launching a slew of lesser products. There's a new laptop sleeve, as well as a keyboard with a built-in touchpad for HTPCs or headless devices (both of which are use cases for the Framework Desktop). There's also a new 10 GBps Expansion Card for faster networking. The Framework Laptop 16 is also getting new modules, including single-piece haptic touchpad inputs and keyboards to reduce the number of seams on the systems; the Laptop 16 is also getting a new Ryzen 5 processor option.

Perhaps one of the biggest swings at the Framework DIY ethos is a new OCuLink developer kit for the Framework Laptop 16 to attach to eGPUs, which includes a module to replace the discrete GPU. The company broke out native 8-lane PCIe on the Ryzen AI 300 series, with up to 128 Gigabit bidirectional throughput. This will let you run desktop-class graphics cards without the overhead of Thunderbolt.

Patel said that calling it a dev kit is deliberate, as it requires knowledge and is not a fully enclosed product. Framework will supply the boards and mechanical structure, but you'll need your own GPU and PSU. If you want to make a case, you'll have to 3D print it.

A laptop user brought their PC to a repair shop, apparently complaining of overheating issues on their gaming laptop. You can see in the Reddit post embedded below that it took the tech less than ten seconds to fix the issue after the tech peeked underneath the device and saw that it was covered in stickers all over, including the vents for its fans. When the technician took off the covering, the laptop seemed to be able to breathe again, prompting the laptop owner to peel off the remaining design that didn’t cover any vents from the bottom of the gaming laptop.

This lady wondered why her gaming laptop overheats while gaming. from r/pcmasterrace

It’s unclear why the laptop owner thought it was a good idea to cover up the vents of their laptop. It could be that it was their first time owning a gaming laptop and that the previous computer they owned was a MacBook Air, which has no fans and uses passive cooling, or they’ve only used smartphones before and have no experience working with computers. Unfortunately, computers, especially gaming laptops, are a completely different beast, and they require a lot of airflow to achieve the performance demanded by several titles. Keeping vents clear of blockages is a no-brainer for PC enthusiasts and tech-savvy people, but, unfortunately, not everyone has the same level of knowledge.

Despite that, researching on the internet is free, and even the AI Overview on Google search said, “Laptops get hot primarily due to blocked air vents, dust accumulation on fans, and high processor usage from demanding applications or excessive background processes.” The first phrase hit the nail on the head for this particular problem, but it seems that tinkering on their expensive devices might feel a bit too much for some people, even if they decked it out with a lot of aesthetic features.

Hopefully, the user learned something from this incident and that their laptop suffered no serious long-term issues from this incident. We also hope that it starts their journey to becoming more curious about the equipment they use. Everyone starts with zero information on computers, after all, and only the combination of interest and environment makes many tech enthusiasts the people they are today.

We’ve tested AMD’s Strix Halo platform in desktop form, and now it arrives in a 14-inch laptop courtesy of Asus’ TUF Gaming A14. This compact laptop delivers abundant CPU performance from its Ryzen AI Max+ 392 and proves well-rounded in many areas beyond raw speed, from battery life to input devices. However, for $2,199.99 as tested, the question is whether its integrated Radeon 8060S graphics can deliver the gaming performance needed to justify its premium price, let alone make it one of the best gaming laptops.

Design of the Asus TUF Gaming A14

All-black with a gunmetal lid, the TUF Gaming A14 looks understated without being drab. Up close, the TUF logo on the lid and stylized keyboard typeface mark it as a gaming machine. The laptop has no external lighting except for the keyboard.

The laptop feels sturdy, with a mostly plastic build except for the aluminum bottom panel and lid backing. It seemed impervious to flex even when I picked it up by a corner. Measuring 12.24 x 8.94 x 0.67 inches and weighing 3.26 pounds, the TUF Gaming A14 is similarly sized yet slightly lighter than the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI (12.68 x 8.84 x 0.71 inches, 3.5 pounds).

The practical port selection starts on the left with HDMI 2.1, USB4, USB-A (10 Gbps), and 3.5mm audio, plus the proprietary power jack for its rather compact 200 W adapter. The remaining ports on the right include a MicroSD card reader and USB-C and USB-A ports (both 10 Gbps). The only area for improvement is wireless; the Realtek 8852CE card supports Wi-Fi 6E, not 7.

Asus TUF Gaming A14 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

We tested the TUF Gaming A14 with a Ryzen AI Max+ 392 processor with Radeon 8060S graphics and 32GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory. The Radeon 8060S promises strong performance for an integrated GPU featuring 40 cores, though whether it stacks up to a dedicated card in an entry-level gaming laptop remains to be seen.

Playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order at a 2560 x 1600 resolution with Epic settings, I saw between 55 and 75 frames per second (FPS), with smooth performance throughout.

Our comparison lineup starts with Acer’s Predator Triton 14 AI featuring a “Lunar Lake” Core Ultra 9 288V and a GeForce RTX 5070 (110 W), which retails for $2,499. Lenovo’s Legion LOQ 15ARP9 follows, delivering a Ryzen 7 250 and RTX 5060 (115 W) for $1,299. The last spot is filled by the Framework Desktop, which seems like an unequal comparison, but it’s one of the only other Strix Halo systems we’ve tested. Its Ryzen AI Max+ 395 offers 16 cores and a 5.1 GHz boost versus the 12 cores and 5 GHz boost of the Max+ 392 chip in the TUF Gaming A14, though the Radeon 8060S GPUs in both chips feature the same number of cores and run at the same frequency. That said, The Framework Desktop offers a substantially more powerful 400 W power supply and has more thermal cooling capacity, differences we expect to show in the benchmarks.

Our charts focus on the 1080p numbers, but we also test at the system’s native resolution if different, which is 2560 x 1600 for the Asus and a slightly higher 2880 x 1800 for the Acer.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the Highest detail preset, the TUF Gaming A14 averaged 67 FPS at 1080p, well behind the Framework Desktop (87 FPS) and significantly trailing the Acer (102 FPS) and Lenovo (105 FPS). Performance fell to 37 FPS at native resolution, which is only marginally playable.

The results worsened in Cyberpunk 2077 at Ray Tracing Ultra, where the TUF Gaming A14 managed just 16 FPS at 1080p. While the Framework Desktop fared slightly better at 22 FPS, neither system delivered a playable experience. The Acer (30 FPS) and Lenovo (32 FPS) performed much better thanks to their dedicated Nvidia GPUs.

Playability improved somewhat in Far Cry 6 at Ultra settings, where the TUF Gaming A14 reached 66 FPS at 1080p, though it still lagged the other systems: Lenovo (73 FPS), Framework (83 FPS), and Acer (84 FPS) all did better.

In Red Dead Redemption 2 at the Medium preset, the TUF Gaming A14 posted 49 FPS at 1080p, trailing the Acer and Framework (both 57 FPS) and falling well short of the Lenovo’s leading 68 FPS.

The TUF Gaming A14’s standings didn’t improve in Borderlands 3 at the “Badass” preset, where it delivered 54 FPS at 1080p – 34 FPS slower than the Lenovo’s 88 FPS, its closest competitor in this test.

Stepping back, the TUF Gaming A14 is capable of modern gaming in most titles at 1080p, though running games at its native 1600p resolution may require dialing back the detail settings for smooth performance. However, as the Lenovo LOQ 15 demonstrates, even entry-level gaming laptops can deliver substantially better performance.

We stress test gaming laptops running 15 loops of the Metro Exodus stress test at RTX settings. During the test, the TUF Gaming A14 averaged 49.8 FPS across all runs, starting at 54.2 before dropping to around 49 FPS by the fourth loop, where its numbers remained steady for the remaining iterations. The Ryzen AI Max+ 392 averaged 1.92 GHz while the Radeon 8060S averaged 1.84 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

Our TUF Gaming A14 review sample features an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 392 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. With 12 cores, the CPU should deliver strong performance for any task.

In Geekbench 6, the TUF Gaming A14 delivered competitive single-core performance, scoring 2,867 points to slot between the Acer (2,806 with a Core Ultra 9 288V) and Framework (2,966 with a Ryzen AI Max+ 395) while the Lenovo trailed at 2,548 (Ryzen 7 250). It stood out in multi-core, posting 17,334 points, effectively matching the Framework (17,574) and decisively outperforming both the Acer (10,974) and Lenovo (9,713).

Storage performance was middle-of-the-road. In our 25GB file transfer test, the TUF Gaming A14 averaged 1,520.83 MBps, edging out the Acer (1,232.68) and Lenovo (1,378.45), though falling well short of the Framework Desktop’s 2,976.46 MBps.

The TUF Gaming A14 also showed strong performance in Handbrake, completing the 4K-to-1080p transcode in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. That result tied the Framework (2:45) and comfortably beat the Lenovo (4:56) and Acer (6:03).

Taken together, these results indicate the TUF Gaming A14’s value proposition is strongly skewed towards CPU performance. From a productivity standpoint, its Ryzen AI Max+ 392 CPU is substantially stronger than a standard Ryzen 7 laptop CPU based on the Lenovo Legion, making it highly capable for content creation and multi-threaded workloads.

Display on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

The TUF Gaming A14’s 14-inch display will satisfy most buyers. Its 2560 x 1600 resolution is well-suited for productivity yet not out of reach for gaming with its Radeon 8060S graphics. Its smooth 165 Hz refresh rate, anti-glare surface, and IPS wide viewing angles also earn it good marks.

The image quality is satisfactory but doesn’t stand out. Watching Blade Runner 2049, the display’s ample contrast allowed for good detail in shadowy scenes and enough brightness to make firefights immersive, though an OLED screen would have punchier contrast and greater color depth.

With a peak brightness of 390 nits, the TUF Gaming A14 easily outshined the Lenovo (315 nits) and the Acer (359 nits), though the latter’s OLED panel doesn’t require the same luminance to appear as bright as the Asus’ IPS. With 82.1% DCI-P3 and 115.3% sRGB coverage, the Asus practically tied the Lenovo in color reproduction. Neither could match the Acer, which covered an astounding 135.7% of DCI-P3.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

Ample throw, a cushioned rubbery feel, and comfortable key spacing provides a satisfying typing experience on the TUF Gaming A14. The layout offers no surprises and includes convenient dedicated keys above the Function row for volume, microphone, and launching the Armoury Crate app. Its only real miss is lack of backlighting color customization. Though the white lighting is bright, adjustable in four levels, and offers breathing and strobing effects, this price point virtually mandates RGB customization.

Meanwhile, the touchpad is excellent, offering an appropriately sized surface and quiet, responsive physical clicking action.

Audio on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

The Asus’ downward-facing speakers produce a subpar audio experience. They sounded strained with the music I sampled, particularly bass-heavy dubstep, producing almost no bass. Volume is also sufficient only for personal listening. Additionally, there’s no app for tuning equalizers. They can suffice for basic gaming, but the lack of bass means the immersion factor isn’t there. For an entertainment-focused laptop, Asus has a lot to improve here.

Upgradeability of the Asus TUF Gaming A14

The TUF Gaming A14 offers moderate upgradeability: two M.2 2280 drive slots, an M.2 2230 wireless card, and the battery are all serviceable. The RAM is soldered.

The bottom panel is secured by 11 Philips-head screws. Oddly, the one under the corner of the right palmrest is retainer-style while the one on the opposite side isn’t, and both of those screws are shorter than the rest, all of which are uniform length. I didn’t need to use a pry tool to pop the clips securing the bottom panel, using just my fingers to pop the clips along the back edge and working my way around the edges.

Battery Life on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

Our battery test consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. The TUF Gaming A14 lasted 9 hours and 7 minutes for the longest runtime in the group, edging out the Acer (8:16) and leaving the Lenovo LOQ (6:50) far behind. While it lands a few hours shy of a premium ultraportable, the TUF Gaming A14’s impressive CPU performance is a worthy tradeoff.

Heat on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

Asus’ dual-fan cooling system exhausts air out the rear edge, producing steady streams of heat under load while maintaining an acceptable noise level – it didn’t become bothersome or distracting in my testing.

We measure the surface temperatures of gaming laptops during the Metro Exodus stress test. The peak temperatures on the TUF Gaming A14 were more than acceptable, peaking at 99 degrees F between the keyboard’s G and H keys, 77 F on the touchpad, and 108 F on the underside. Internally, the Ryzen AI Max+ 392 CPU averaged 58 degrees Celsius.

Webcam on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

The A14’s webcam offers a disappointing picture. Its 1920 x 1080 sensor produces a soft picture with muddy details and suffers from grain in low-light environments. It also struggled to handle background windows and light, underexposing my face. It offers an IR sensor for biometric facial logins but lacks a privacy shutter.

Software and Warranty on the Asus TUF Gaming A14

Asus includes two main apps on the TUF Gaming A14. The first is Armoury Crate, which provides performance profiles including Performance, Silent, Windows Default, and a manual mode.

By default, the system automatically switches to Performance when plugged in and Silent on battery. Manual mode is a technical deep-dive, with wattage settings for CPU power states and customizable fan profiles. The app also provides control over the amount of system memory dedicated to the GPU, which defaults to 4GB. Even if left at the minimum, the system can still requisition up to 14GB on demand. More memory can be allocated, but it reduces the amount available to Windows. With the default 4GB, Windows can access 28GB of the 32GB total memory.

Armoury Create also includes user preferences: toggles for turning the Windows and Armoury Crate keys and touchpad on or off, keyboard backlighting settings (four brightness levels and static, breathing, or strobing effects), display settings for color temperature and various profiles, such as FPS and RTS/RPG modes for gaming and an eyecare mode to reduce blue light. Most of these settings can be stored in profiles, which can automatically be applied when a specified app is opened.

The other app is MyAsus for diagnostics, support access, and system updates. It also provides a battery care mode to limit the charge to 80%.

There is some bloatware, namely a McAfee Premium + Individual app.

Asus includes a one-year warranty on the TUF Gaming A14.

Asus TUF Gaming A14 Configurations

Our TUF Gaming A14 review sample included a 14-inch 2560 x 1600 display with a 165 Hz refresh rate, an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 392 processor, Radeon 8060S graphics, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It was $2,199.99 at Best Buy as of publishing.

This is the only configuration available with the Ryzen AI Max+ CPU. Best Buy also offered a $1,699.99 model featuring a Ryzen AI 7 350, RTX 5060 and 16GB of RAM, which ought to provide superior gaming performance.

Bottom Line

The TUF Gaming A14’s ultimately succeeds or fails on the strength of its Ryzen AI Max+ 392 CPU. On the upside, it delivers exceptional CPU performance for demanding productivity workflows at a level rarely seen in a 14-inch chassis, yet still maintains respectable battery life. Paired with comfortable input devices, a competent if unremarkable display, and a solid selection of ports, it presents itself as a capable productivity machine.

The problem is that its Radeon 8060S, while impressive for an integrated solution, simply doesn’t deliver near the level of gaming performance expected from a laptop positioned and priced as a premium gaming system. Even entry-level models, such as the RTX 5060-equipped Lenovo LOQ we used for comparison, provide substantially greater performance at a significantly lower cost, making the TUF Gaming A14 a tough sell as a gaming-first laptop. While its strong CPU performance may suit niche workflows, gamers will find far better value in a laptop with a true dedicated GPU.

For centuries, artisans have adjusted their tools to suit their preferences and work styles. In a similar spirit, software designer and engineer Kent Walters has used a metalworking file to round over the corners of his MacBook. On his blog, Walters shares that “people like to freak out about this,” but we think the DIYing and modding core of Tom’s Hardware readers will probably overwhelmingly support his right-to-disrepair stance.

If you’ve owned or used a modern Apple device, you may sympathize with Walters. “The bottom edge of the MacBook is very sharp. Indeed, the industrial designers at Apple chose an aluminum unibody partly for the fact that it can handle such a geometry,” explains the San Francisco resident. “But, it is uncomfortable on my wrists, and I believe strongly in customizing one's tools, so I filed it off.”

The idea seems fair, but the images Walters shares show that there’s more than a modicum of filing work done to increase the comfort of the palm rest area to an acceptable level. The eased profile is particularly rounded right below the touchpad area. Indeed, Walters says he was concerned that he might file through the unibody when doing this, but thankfully not.

MacBook bullnosing DIY tips

If you are also barely tolerating the sharp edges of your MacBook, Walters has some advice. Inspired DIYers should tape off the speakers and keyboard before lifting their metalworking file, he suggests. That will obviously minimize the ingress of aluminum filings. Clamping the notebook to a rigid surface is also recommended to help you work with accuracy.

To round the edges off the MacBook palmrest, as pictured, Walters started with “a fairly rough file, as that is what I had on hand, and then sanded with 150 then 400 grit sandpaper.” He notes that this work was done months before the pictures, so the finish has earned a few battle scars since – a few scratches and dings.

Finally, thrifty folks who will keep their devices as pristine as possible to maximize resale potential down the road probably aren’t the best match for this kind of project.

Whether you're a student submitting homework, at work typing away at documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, or you're just someone who wants to access resources online and connect with family and friends, you want a laptop with the components and features you'll need to get the job done. That means a great screen, a comfortable keyboard, and long battery life (and nice design doesn't hurt, either!).

The laptop space is more competitive than ever. Windows machines come from many companies using silicon from three major CPU vendors: Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. Apple, meanwhile, has a range of powerful and portable systems based on its own Apple Silicon.

In 2026, Intel's most recent chips are its Intel Core Ultra (Series 3) chips, code-named Panther Lake, while AMD launched its "Gorgon Point" Ryzen AI processors at CES. At Computex, Nvidia announced that its RTX Spark chips will launch in laptops from Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and more starting in the fall, taking on Qualcomm in the Windows on Arm space. Earlier this year, Qualcomm released its Snapdragon X2 Elite Xtreme, Elite, and Plus chips.

On Macs, Apple's top chips are the M5 series, including the M5 Pro and M5 Max, which can be found in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineup.

Best Laptops You Can Buy Today

The Best Laptop (and Mac) overall

The MacBook Air has been a go-to laptop recommendation for quite some time, thanks to strong performance, a fanless design, excellent built quality, and long-lasting battery life. With the version of the chip with M5, you get the benefits of years of hardware revisions since the Air's last redesign with M2, including a minimum 16GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel webcam.

The M5 chip in the MacBook Air showed off excellent single and multi-core performance. In fact, it;s closest rival was the same chip in the MacBook Pro, which gets a boost because of an active fan.

That being said, the system can throttle under heavy workloads like rendering. But for most people's typical tasks, including writing, editing, making spreadsheets, editing photos, listening to music, programming, and general multitasking, you'll have a very powerful machine.

Apple has boosted the base MacBook Air's price to $1,099, but it now starts with 512GB of memory. Given the price of components these days, the laptop is still a great value. If you want a Mac but don't want to spend that much for it, you could take a step down to the entry-level MacBook Neo, starting at $599, as long as you're willing to sacrifice on power, memory, ports, and a backlit keyboard.

Read: MacBook Air (M5) review

Best Windows laptop

The Dell XPS 14 is back, and while you might expect its performance or design to be the headlining feature, it's the battery life that wows. With its base 1920 x 1200 LCD display, which has a variable refresh rate that goes all the way down to 1 Hz, it lasted 20 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test.

That's not to say the battery life is all there is to like about this laptop. The 3-pound chassis is sleek, and Dell added a function row back to the keyboard, making it way easier to use over the touch bar of yesteryear.

If you're OK with 12 hours of charge, more expensive models with a tandem OLED display have way better colors and more powerful Arc B390 integrated graphics.

That being said, both of them have a low-travel keyboard without space between the keys, which definitely tripped up my fingers, so you'll need time to get your muscle memory going. And the starting price, at $1,600, is a lot to ask but is unfortunately common as the memory crisis rages on.

Read: Dell XPS 14 (2026) review

Best ultralight laptop

Some of the best laptops are barely noticeable in your bag. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, at 2.15 pounds is extremely light.

Still, despite the weight, you get plenty of other benefits. The speakers are surprisingly good for a laptop of this size. Perhaps most impressively, the system ran for 16 hours and 38 minutes on our battery test, outlasting many of the laptops we bit against it by multiple hours.

The system also offers a lovely display. The POLED touchscreen measured 476 nits of brightness while falling in similar gamut ranges as other OLED notebooks that weren't as luminous.

There are some downsides. There are limited ports outside of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, including a lack of a headphone jack. And CPU performance fell behind some competitors, like Apple's M5 MacBook Air and a thicker AMD-based 2-in-1 from HP.Still, the laptop impressed for its airiness and multimedia strengths. And as tested with 32GB at $1,519, it's not a crazy price as the costs of many laptops skyrocket during an ongoing component shortage.

Read: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition review

Another great Windows clamshell

We can argue about how much the AI PC is really any sort of revolution, but there are still some strong ultraportables coming out. The HP OmniBook Ultra puts the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in a sleek chassis with strong productivity performance.

HP is offering up decent battery life here, running for 12 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test. That's not the best, but all things considered including the high-resolution display, it's not bad. It's also nice to see Thunderbolt 4 ports on an AMD system, which is exceedingly rare.

The experience is knocked down a bit by a significant amount of bloatware, but if you're looking for a strong AMD laptop, the HP OmniBook Ultra is a strong competitor if you don't mind doing some uninstalling.

Read: HP OmniBook Ultra review

The best budget laptop

If you're looking for an affordable laptop, Apple does it best these days. The MacBook Neo starts at $599 ($499 with an education discount), but you rarely feel like you're not getting enough – unlike most Windows laptops in this price range. The Neo has a premium, all-metal chassis, a bright, vivid screen, and a custom mechanical trackpad that lets you click anywhere. And yes, you get all of macOS running on what was formerly an iPhone chip.

The quality of the 13-inch chassis and screen are key here. You're not getting something plastic. You're not getting something low-resolution, and you're not getting something dim. You also get a great webcam for this price range, and the system stays remarkably cool. There are some niceties you sacrifice, however. Apple has gone without a backlit keyboard. And the two USB ports aren't labeled, so you'll have to remember which is the faster 10 Gbps USB 3 port (the back one) for backup drives and monitors, lest you end up with an error message.

I suspect that most people with light workloads — especially students and people using home computers doing a lot of work in the browser — won't have too much trouble with the 8GB of RAM. That being said, 16GB systems can be found in the Windows world for a bit more money, though you'll need to hunt for sales.

But if a premium laptop experience (including great build quality and a high-res screen) are important to you, Apple delivers that better than any Windows machine priced close to the Neo’s $599 starting price.

Read: MacBook Neo review

The Best Laptop for work

There are plenty of reasons why the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a classic. It's thin design and strong build quality are beloved by ThinkPad diehards. The latest model, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11), offers long battery life and great speakers.

Perhaps most critically, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers an excellent keyboard. Lenovo's reputation was built on great typing experiences, so this is crucial. For those who love Lenovo's TrackPoint, it's still here, allowing you to move the mouse without ever taking your fingers away from the home row on the keyboard.

The latest version comes with Intel's 13th Gen Core processors. We reviewed it with a Core i7-1355U, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The one real issue we had is that the base screen could benefit from being a bit brighter. Those who want the most vivid experience can opt for an OLED panel, but at a higher price.

When shopping for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11), keep an eye out for Lenovo's frequent sales, as there's often a deal available.

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11) Review

The Best Windows Tablet

Microsoft may push the Surface Pro as a do-it-all AI machine, but the truth is it's just a really nice, portable, slim PC that lasts a long time on a battery and includes a beautiful OLED display. It's definitively one of the best Surfaces to date.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors offer enough performance to keep up with x86 competitors, making this one of the first Arm-based Surfaces that doesn't feel like it's lacking. Add on more Arm-compatible apps than ever, including the Chrome browser, and there's far less to miss from previous Intel models. That's not to say it's perfect — there are still some gaming issues, as well as drivers for specialized peripherals that may need to be rebuilt for the new platform.

The 45 TOPS NPU powers some of Windows 11's Copilot+ features, like Cocreator, Live Captions, and Windows Studio effects. None of these are showstoppers, but they're cool tricks.'

If you want a premium tablet running Windows 11, the Surface Pro is one of the only premium games in town. And that means paying a premium for a separate keyboard. But for those who love this form factor, the Surface Pro remains the best option out there.

Read: Microsoft Surface Pro review

A more powerful Mac laptop

The MacBook Air is a great starting point, but if you want an air-cooled processor and a few more features, the base MacBook Pro adds a few niceties. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts with an M5 processor, has three Thunderbolt ports (including one on the right side), and a beautiful micro LED display.

For those willing to spend an extra $150, there's a nano-texture display option that is completely worth it if you ever use your laptop outside. The matte display looks excellent, and was great on desks near windows.

If you need the most power possible, we also reviewed the MacBook Pro with an M5 Max, including a 40-core GPU, a mix of Apple's latest performance and super cores, and a blazing fast SSD.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch laptops offer great speakers and beautiful displays, but you will have to pay quite a bit for any storage or memory upgrades you want, and you won't be able to make changes later.

Read: MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) review
Read: MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max) review

The Best Gaming laptop

Razer Blade 18 offers some of the strongest gaming performance we've seen in a laptop, but also features excellent design, comfortable features, and the latest connection standards. At $5,199.99 as tested, it sure should be good. It tops our list of the best gaming laptops.

The major highlight is the dual-mode display, which has two options: 3840 x 2400 at 240 Hz or 1920 x 1200 at 440 Hz. Those two choices (which you can switch between in Razer Synapse) is enough to showcase both intensive, graphics-driven games at high settings and esports where frames are more important than resolution and detail.

The laptop, packed with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU in our review configuration, outperformed the field in our gaming tests, especially at the lower resolution.Razer is one of the few laptop makers using Thunderbolt 5 ports (we've also seen them from MSI and Apple), so this system is ready to go if you're using advanced peripherals or the fastest external storage drives.

Perhaps the biggest downside is that the Blade's dual 2TB storage drives use PCIe 4.0 rather than 5.0. You won’t notice this in games or mainstream productivity, but if you want PCIe 5.0 speed for future proofing or 8K video editing, the Titan may still be the way to go. The Blade 18 does support PCIe 5.0 drives, if you want to upgrade to speedier storage in the future.

Read: Razer Blade 18 review

Other Laptops We Tested

💻 Asus Zenbook A16

The Zenbook A16 has Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, including 48GB of RAM on the package. While the chip is fast, the laptop, while lightweight, didn't meet our expectations. While light, it flexed and didn't feel premium; battery life was lesser than competitors; and while emulation is better than it used to be, there are still some compatibility issues with Windows on Arm for power users.

Read: Asus Zenbook A16 review

💻 Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra

Samsung's Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a powerful system for creatives, thanks in part to the RTX 5070 GPU in the version we tested. The OLED screen is beautiful and you get an nice design (albeit one that is quite similar to Macs), but this laptop is pricey, and you get a shallow keyboard.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review

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Framework has announced yet another price adjustment for components, including RAM, storage, and overall silicon costs, due to the ongoing global memory crisis. In its latest monthly update, the company said that while this period showed some signs of stability, customers should be prepared for a further increase in pricing and volatility throughout the remainder of 2026.

For its DIY Edition laptops, DDR5 memory pricing remains largely unchanged at $13 to $18 per GB, depending on the capacity. However, pricing for SSDs is beginning to witness a shift due to the depletion of existing SSD inventory that was purchased at a lower cost. The company has already adjusted pricing for higher-capacity drives, such as the 4TB WD Black SN850X, and has advised customers with high-capacity storage requirements to consider making their purchase soon while older inventory remains available at a nominal value.

Similarly, pricing for LPDDR5X memory has also surged in the past few months, which has led to a price increase for its Framework Desktop powered by AMD’s Strix Halo chips. While the company is going to absorb a portion of these higher costs, it will be increasing the price for the 128GB configuration to offset the remainder. Framework claims that despite this adjustment, its desktop offering remains one of the most affordable options for users seeking large memory capacities for local AI workloads.

The outlook is somewhat more favorable for the Framework Laptop 16. The company has managed to secure lower CPU pricing for certain configurations, allowing it to bring some models back to their original launch pricing. However, due to the ongoing increases in memory costs, prebuilt variants featuring 64GB of DDR5 RAM will witness a price increase.

Beyond full systems, Framework’s modular ecosystem has also fallen victim to rising costs. Its Storage Expansion Cards, which rely on the same NAND flash as conventional NVMe SSDs, are becoming more expensive to produce. The company has already increased pricing for the 250GB version and has warned that both 250GB and 1TB variants are likely to witness a substantial price adjustment later this year.

Back in March, Framework shared a similar update suggesting an increase in memory and storage pricing. The company had increased DDR5 SO-DIMM costs to around $13 to $18 per GB after the exhaustion of its previously purchased lower-cost inventory. The company had also adjusted SSD pricing as it transitioned to newer, more expensive stock, while temporarily maintaining below-market rates on select high-capacity drives as it cleared remaining inventory.